In Love As In Life

There are disappointments in love as in life

The young woman he loves is another man's wife

Of late he has not been in the club rooms of the football club

Or had a few drinks with his mates in the local pub

Time will heal his loveache but this will not be soon

The woman he loves is on her honeymoon

Mutual love between them never began for to end

To her he is only a platonic friend

For unrequited love for one always a price to pay

He is grieving for what he cannot have today

One of the sad people of the town

In love as in life many an up and a down

This evening he will not join in the New Year cheer

He sits on his own at home drinking a beer.

A Great Teacher

That Nature is a great teacher in truth one can say

As we learn from her something new every day

And though she is one who never does cease to surprise

Of her so much to learn one does come to realize

Nature is one who has ways of her own

And so much about her remains as unknown

The one who has in her the magical power

She helps Mother Earth from a tiny seed to grow a beautiful flower

Due to the abuse for money on Mother Earth Nature's flora and fauna becoming rare

What the World needs now are more of the environmentally aware

The abuse of Nature has it's source in human greed

And of more human friends Mother Earth is in need

That Nature is a great teacher as a truism remain

And from her many lessons so much knowledge we gain.

Many Of Those

Many of those looked on as successful in the Human World of today

From their higher selves seem further away

Than the unadmired of their side of the town

Who live their lives as strangers to renown

For they live with their egos well under control

And though in their communities they never play a leading role

Of the needs of others are quite of aware

And kindness and compassion have in them to share

Of the praises of the wealthy and those looked on as successful many may sing

But too much praise for the ego is not a good thing

Not many egotistical people among the strangers to fame

And among the wealthy and admired few humble one could name

For most things in life always some price to pay

And for the wealthy and famous it is also this way.

Coursing's Last Year

Live hare coursing for decades enjoyed by coursing fans in Ireland

By an act of parliament may well soon be banned

One of the last surviving blood sports in Europe it's end may be near

The year two thousand and twenty two may well be coursing's last year

Coursing dogs of recent years by law a muzzle has to wear

Which does save the life of a cruel end of many a hare

But this did not bring the campaign of the anti coursing people to an end

And now the survival of coursing on politicians does depend

Few things last forever in truth one can say

And suppose coursing in Ireland has known of  a better day

With the anti coursing movement gaining momentum and their numbers on the rise

For the Irish Government to ban it would not come as a surprise

The end of coursing in Ireland coursing fans will not celebrate

But in most things in life there is a use by date

The end of live hare coursing in Ireland it well may be near

The year two thousand and twenty two may be it's last year.

On Australian Magpies

The black and white birds who do sing every day of the year

The warbling of the Australian magpies so pleasant to hear

Visual and vocal memories of them not hard to retain

Once seen and once heard you will know them again

On nest of sticks lined with dried grass and rags and feathers and hair high on branch of tree

That from the ground is not hard to see

One to six greenish brown dotted eggs the female bird lay

From their breeding territory they chase all other birds away

Called magpies due to their colouring but in reality piping shrike

Quite territorial and bullies other birds them do not like

Among the best known of Australian birds since they live Australia wide

In town parks and gardens and padocks of the countryside

Distinctive in their black and white feathers and their warbling song

Once seen and once heard you will never again get them wrong.

On Politicians

Though of different political parties they are much the same

Most politicians are self centered and do seek their own fame

Except for the rare exceptions the honourable few

Most of them serve their own interests this is not saying what is new

The most successful politicians do know of how to deceive

Many of them so deceitful their own lies they do believe

To lie to them comes easy in parliament they lie every day

To the truth most politicians respect never seem to pay

Most politicians are in politics for power and financial gain

For only a short time the honest politicians in politics remain

They soon grow disenchanted with the corruption of greed

Though Worldwide houses of parliament of their sort of are badly in need

The majority of politicians one can say far from just

People that one on should not place much trust.

From Millstreet

From Millstreet i have been quite a long time away

And my erstwhile friends there may not need me as their friend today

I socialized with them played games of football

But since many a Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall

I may have left Millstreet but Millstreet did not leave me

On my flights of fancy i often does see

Old Clara half cloaked in the gray fogs of rain

In the mind of the migrant the mental images of the past remain

With the silver tongue that is never still

The low babbling sound of the Claramore Rill

Flowing onwards in Claraghatlea forever more

At the start of it's journey to the Atlantic shore

Where i grew to love Nature as a young boy

And learning of her ways today i enjoy

In this often sunny place in this Land far south

Of the fields of the badger and waterways of the brown trout

My best days are in the long forever gone

And the clock on my life ever keeps ticking on

And of the old fields i loved only memories i retain

Though in fancy i often walk on them again.

The Gray Roos At Tower Hill

Resting in the high scrub amidst the trees from sight hidden away

The gray roos at Tower Hill one seldom sees out by day

At twilight from their hiding spots they venture out

For to graze on the long grass and go on hop about

Going back just over two centuries in real time not that long

The gray roos were hunted for food by the local indigenous tribe known as the Peek Wurrong

Who became the dispossessed of their homeplace

At the arrival of Europe's fair skinned race

Sadly the Peek Wurrong not now in Tower Hill though the descendants of the roos they hunted live there today

That time only brings partial change seems true for to say

Close to the Pacific in the coastal Moyne Shire countryside

The volcanic valley of Tower Hill has it's secrets to hide

Today in Tower Hill no sound of a didgeridoo

But no shortage as well of gray kangaroo.

I Too Can Be Judgmental

Of the flaws in others are you only aware

And of your own imperfections have you one thought to spare

Of the judgmental sort there are plenty like you

And suffice to say i am one of those too

Our own imperfections in others we see

Though with this assumption you do not agree

We all have our flaws though you do not see it in this way

Not many near to sainthood in the World of today

It is easy to judge others quite easy indeed

But of far less of the judgmental the Human World is in need

Those who know of their own imperfections are known to be compassionate and kind

And of the helping of others are always willingly inclined

I too can be judgmental this much of me i know

Perhaps one reason i do not have the inner glow.

Have Some Of Your Memories

Have some of your memories ever brought you close to tears

As you thought of your past in the now long gone years

Of when you were a young person a long time ago

Long before time it did become your foe

On the roadways of life you have been up and down

Since your younger years in the far away town

The children that you played childhood games with  then

Have nowadays aged to ageing women and men

Many Seasons have passed since your physical prime

Eventually we all do run out of time

Our biological clocks keep on ticking away

The baby born yesterday is ageing today

Your parents deceased your siblings like you the years on them show

People do age in time and younger anyone never grow

Your memories like many a mixture of grief and joy

Like your younger years friends every girl and boy

A migrant where you now live and you would feel a stranger today in your hometown 

On old streets you often did walk up and down

And only the memories in you now does last

Of the happy and sad times you know of your past.

On Magpie Larks

In cup shaped nest of mud high on branch of tree

The female lay pale pink spotted eggs of five four or three

Medium sized black and white birds known as magpie lark, mudlark or peewee

All over Australia birds one often does hear and see

They live on tiny insects they find on the ground

Their heads seemingly bobbing as they walk around

To be different in behaviour and appearance from other species one of their claims to fame

Not that scared of people they seem almost tame

In parks and paddocks, backyards and gardens they spend their days

And as they call out peewee their wings they do raise

Among the birds of Australia one of the better known

One can say of them they have ways of their own

Often seen and heard in paddocks, backyards and many a town park birds one does see every day

Quite familiar and distinctive of them one can say.

To The Millions Who Do Love Her

To the millions who do love her she is such a source of joy

But a minority of greedy people for the sake of money some of the Earth's beauty destroy

And on so doing many of Nature's flora put on the endangered list

On abusing the Earth the one who feeds us all for her resources greedy humans do persist

Some of us criminal environmental vandals for want of a better name

Our abuse of our Earth Mother is to our eternal shame

The wrongs we do to the one who feeds us to our own selves we do

This is how that i do see it whatever about you

I am unworthy to be called a greenie though i see Mother Earth as a friend

Though in the past i too have harmed her i am not one to pretend

For our sins against our Earth Mother there will be some price to pay

And about us the children of the future will not have nice things to say

Since we only have created for them a World of food shortage and poverty

The Earth who supports all life forms do not have a friend in humanity.

As A Person

As a person you can only live to be the best that you can be

And look for the good in others and good in them you will see

The good things you do for yourself says far less about you

Than the good things for others that you do choose to do

When you are in financial difficulties you know who your  friends are

And it may not be the one who owns and drives the expensive to buy car

The one who does have loads of cash one of the town's wealthy few

But the one on a weekly average working wage this is not saying what is new

Those who are kind to others do sow Karma's good seed

And it is true of more of their sort the Human World is in need

Only the best of people help the financially down

And their sort never among the admired of any village, city or town

They may not be the sort of people others of wish to know

The people of natural kindness who does have the inner glow.

Their Life's Journey

Their life's journey for any two people not the same 

Some are destined to know of wealth and fame

And some born to live a life of poverty

To live and die poor in their life's destiny

Millions of people Worldwide are homeless and hungry today

And many are working for poor take home pay

For every big winner many have to lose

And losing is a thing anyone does not choose

Few do wish to know of the financially down

And Worldwide no shortage of their sort in any city or town

Money speaks every language as the wise one does say

This is how it is and it was always this way

Their life's journey does not lead to wealth and renown

Those born into poverty in city and town.

Matt

In his muscular body not one ounce of fat

Dark haired, broad shouldered and handsome the big fellow Matt

He has travelled and worked in the big country far north of Camperdown

Where he was born and raised in his southern hometown

In his early twenties his best years of him ahead

The top shearer in many a shearing shed

Without the responsibility of children or a partner or wife

He is enjoying the carefree single travelling life

Just a few years short of his physical prime

At the weekends in the country town pubs he enjoys a good time

Though he has no plans in the future to wed

With many a young female he has been to bed

Far from Camperdown his hometown in the south

Up north he is shearing and travelling about.

Whatever About You

Human abuse for financial gain on Mother Earth is out of control

And destruction of their habitat on wildlife numbers is taking it's toll

The Earth that feeds us all is for us to live on and with other creatures to share

Though of this too few of uis does seem to be of aware

What we do to our Earth Mother to our own selves we do

This is how i do see it whatever about you

That us humans are not friends of Nature and her creatures there can be no denying

Due to bush fires from Global Warming and felling by loggers of blue gum trees koalas in large numbers are dying

Future generations of children sadly may not see

A koala sleeping or eating leaves on a gum tree

More wildlife species being added to the endangered list every day

And this seems a sad thing for to have to say

What we do to our Earth Mother to our own selves we do

This is how i do see it whatever about you.

Claraghatlea In December

In weather that is cold enough for to snow

A freshening wind with a chill in it from the Boggeraghs blow

In Claraghatlea soughing in bare deciduous trees

On weather temperatures just above zero degrees

Christmas in Claraghatlea is a cold and wet time of year

In the gray of the morning the cawing of the hungry rooks and gray crows one does hear

On bare deciduous trees hunger in their cry

With the clouds of rain gathering in a sunless sky

From Claraghatlea in December Spring in time seems far away

In the farmyard sheds cattle bellowing for silage or hay

The songbirds too hungry for to chirp or sing

Some of them will not be living for to welcome the Spring

On Claraghatlea in December the sun seldom shine

In weather temperatures varying from zero to nine.

He Proclaims Himself To Be A Major Poet

He proclaims himself to be a major poet with me this is okay

But what he is or is not is not for me to say

On who is a major poet literary critics are well paid to decide

In This Country the same as it is Worldwide

Though many would not see him as a poetic great

At least himself he does not under-rate 

His own praises in public he does like to sing

But in the twenty first century self promotion is not a rare thing

Yet self praise is no praise as the wise one does say

A truism from the past that remains relevant today

Though fame as a poet in life he pursue

One can only hope his literary dreams for him will come true

A young man in his twenties who likes to proclaim himself to be a major poet

Though many believe him as unworthy of even local literary note.

Of Birds And Their Ways

Of birds and their ways my wonder only grow

Yet so little about them i can claim of to know

And those who know far more about them than i do say

That of them they do learn something new every day

It is a sad thing of  for to be aware

That many species of birds are becoming quite rare

Due to destruction of their natural habitat by humans and  human induced Global Warming that hurries on Climate Change

Many species of birds once quite common nowadays rare in their range

One can say of birds that they have ways of their own

And so much about them remains to be known

The more we learn about birds the more we come to realize

That of them there is so much to learn of  is not a surprise

Some birds not hard to recognize by their appearance or song

Once seen and once heard you never again get them wrong

And rarer species much harder to identify

Quite distinct in their difference seems hard to deny

Of birds every day i do learn something new 

And for to realize this i am not one of a few

And for those who love birds it is such a sad thing

To contemplate in time we may be near to the first silent Spring.

People With Love In Them

People with love in them have love for to share

And of the needs of others they are always aware

And though they may not be the heroines or the heroes of their side of the town

They never ignore the financially down

For their future good Karma always planting the seed

By helping the people of help most in need

Though they have their own challenges in life to meet

For attention with others they never compete

Being kind to others in life is their thing

And of  their own praises you will never hear them sing

Of the judgmental gene they seem to be free

The beauty in others they only do see

Since they have been born with the bright inner glow

People with love in them are nice people of to know.

Your Past

Just like the words of a memorable song

Wherever you go to your past with you goes along 

Your memories of what was in you does remain

In your times of reflection to visit again

Memories of people you have known of or of met

Some you remember with fondness and some you would rather forget

We age with years but the memories live on

In us of our past of the forever gone

The migrants have memories of their first homeplace

Where to many theirs used to be a well known face

Until the yearn for adventure lured them to elsewhere

For to experience life in the big World out there

It lives in your mind the beauty you have seen

Of the places in your travels that you to have been

But all we have of the past are the memories today

And life does go on as the wise one does say.

The Beauty Of December

I have never laid claim to the title of poet

Nor do i feel worthy of any literary note

I am one of those who write rhymes every day

Just for the love of doing it in truth i can say  

In the sunny mostly blue sky just a few clouds of gray

How nice to be outdoors on such a beautiful day

The young birds are chirping on the bushes and trees

And the warbling of the magpies carrying in the gentle breeze

That comes from the Pacific up from the saltwater bay

To describe such beauty the words not in me to say

The paddocks resplendent in Nature's flowers

That came into bloom in the late November showers

Were i born a poet i would write about

The beauty of December in this Land of the south

In weather mostly sunny and pleasant of around twenty degrees

When the warm air is full of the buzzing of bush flies and bees

And since a rhymer at best is the best i can be

I can only admire Nature's beauty around me

Every day the rhymes do come to me and in notebook i write them down

But never for money or literary renown.

On Laughter

Laughter from your mind keeps darkness away

Lucky the one who can laugh every day

Of anti depressant drugs she or he does not have any need

To happiness they do have in them the seed

Since the gift of laughter they do possess

In their minds they have the glow of happiness

Laugh and the World laughs with you as a truism remain

The meaning in this it's own self does explain

Since they do have in them the bright inner glow

Those who laugh easily others of wish to know

Few wish to know of the sad people of the town

Who seem unable to smile and feel mentally down

Those who laugh often make new friends every day

Laughter it is true does keep sadness at bay.

One Of The Town's Wealthiest

One of the town's wealthiest people recently passed away

Where the influence of money is of no value at peace he now lay

In his mid forties of a heart attack he died suddenly

Leaving a widow and a son and a daughter of twenty one and twenty three

Though they do grieve his passing in truth one can say

With the millions from the sale of his twenty houses they will be financially okay

As for him he is now only equal to those who died in poverty

Since death among people brings equality

To say money is not important would be to state a lie

But you cannot take it with you on the day you do die

In life money brought to him admirers and widespread renown

But today he is far worse off than the living poor of the town

In life he was admired as a financial success

But in death he lost everything he did possess.

Nature Is One

Nature is one who has ways of her own

And so much about her remains as unknown

Even to those who on her have their uni degrees

And have spent many years studying about her in universities

The one who has known or know all about Nature in truth one can say

Has never seen or may never see light of day

On their writing of Nature more knowledge of her to others they bring

But not one of Nature who does know everything

Those who know most about Nature have become aware

That any of her secrets with human beings she never will share

Nature the one who helps Mother Earth grow a beautiful tree from a tiny seed

As humans on our very survival them we do need

And though we do not treat either of them as a friend

On our very existence on them we depend.

My Friends Over There

They were my friends before i went to live elsewhere

And i have not forgotten them my friends over there

We had so much fun in our games of football

Good memories live on a lifetime to recall

Living in places from their first home they could not reach by car

From their Birthland like me some of them ageing far

And some of them are of the deceased today

They did not live to die old for some life works in this way

My friends over there i may never more see

All we have are the memories of the what used to be

And though they have not aged in my memory

Today many of them would be strangers to me

I will remember them until the day i do die

If i did say different this would be a lie.

Their Own Dreams

Most people do have their own dreams to pursue

Though life dreams for so few do ever come true

Your dreams serve you well when you are struggling financially to cope

Depite your money problems they offer you hope

Of far better times in the days ahead

With those who have a dream in them hope is never dead

Life on you at present may be quite tough

And you may feel that you are not quite good enough

To compete with many you know who have tasted success

As you do not have personal achievements others to impress

You may not be a high achiever of your side of the town

But your dream gives you hope though you are financially down

As those with a dream do have in them hope

Of a better future and with their problems do cope.

He Is Not The Man

He is not the man that he was years ago

Time that ages everyone has become his foe

In his physical prime the town's champion athlete

And against the best in the Country with success he did compete

Bald headed and gray haired the years on him show

His fastest pace nowadays to say the least slow

He only has memories of a better day

And he did have his innings as some like to say

In his late seventies long past his physical prime

Eventually everyone loses out to time

A National champion in years now long gone

The biological clock on his life ticking on

Ten times a grandfather divorced from his wife

He has known of far better days in his life.

On The Day Reka Will Die

There will be rejoicing in Heaven on the day Reka will die

South west Victoria's finest cook few would say this is a lie

The keeper of Heaven's gate will welcome her with a loud hooray

Welcome to paradise Reka you are here for the long stay

The boss sent life's reaper to fetch you our head cook was given the sack

She was sent off to Limbo and will not be welcomed back 

Some of her cooking of late it was not the best

Your cooking talents were wasted in Victoria south west

We do know of you Reka that you are a cook apart

Tomorrow as the head of our kitchen you will start

Of your cooking up here none will complain in you south west victoria's loss is surely heaven's gain

Why we sent the reaper to fetch you is there any need to explain

On the day Reka will die there will be shedding of tears

By those who have been enjoying her cooking for many years

But they will find consolation when they look skywaards and say

Again we will relish her cooking one day

A lovely and kind hearted person and as a cook the best

To ever live in Victoria's south west

A top job awaits her in Heaven in some future date

And at her arrival there they will celebrate.

This Only Happens In Life

You are never too old to love or never too young to die

And that money speaks every language is surely not a lie

And the once wealthiest in eternal rest where the deceased does lay

Is now poorer than the poorest living in the World of today

Life is the greatest gift that anyone does possess

Superior in every way to any form of success

In life you may be doing it tough one of the financially down

But you are better off in every way than the former wealthy now deceased of the town

The poor divorced young mother of yesterday her luck has changed overnight

The result of a big lotto win has her future looking bright

One's luck can change in a day this only happens in life

Yesterday for herself feeling sad today a beaming divorced wife

One is never too old for to love or to die is never too young

Life is such a wonderful gift and it's praises deserve to be sung.

Old Jim

Old Jim does not have children or a partner or wife

But he is one who does make the most of his life 

An octogenarian bald headed and gray

Physically he is many years past his prime day

But he is a carefree and likeable sort of bloke

He can spin a good yarn or tell a good joke

He lives with his canine companion his black and white border collie Joe

That he bought as a puppy from a breeder a few years ago

A well liked and well known paid up member of the town's football club

And as the eldest patron of the local pub

He is one who is admired as humorous and wise

And knowledgeable on many subjects as many have come to realize

He became an octogenarian on his last birthday in May

Jim who makes the most of his every living day.

Forget About Dying

Forget about dying and your end of life's plan

And live for as long as you possibly can

Live for there may not be a life for your soul when you draw your life's last breath

There may not be anything for us post bodily death

We are born into life to eventually die

And life post bodily death for the soul may be based on a lie

Any deceased person i have known have not come back to tell

Of those other life places known as heaven and hell

Call me an agnostic or an atheist or call me what you may

Since i do not have a god for to kneel to for to pray

I just want to live on until the Reaper a visit to me pay

And i hope this will come about for me in a painless and a natural way

I may end my days far from where my existence began

And it is not for me an end of life plan.

I Cannot Envy Them

 I cannot envy people with lots of money and a widely known name

Who in life have to cope with the admiration of fame

By so many people looked up to and known

They do not seem to have lives of their own

All i need out of life is enough of food and a home to live in

And i leave it to others admirers for to win

How nice not to be well known on your side of the town

Responsibility does come with wealth and renown

Those who crave recognition as ever not rare

This is something of many of would be aware

At social gatherings and parties where people do meet

There are always people who for attention compete

I must say i cannot admire people for their material success

But then i am one of those strange people who is hard to impress.

Superb Blue Wrens

The dark and blue and brown male of such tiny size

To wonder his kind never cease to give rise

His partner the female a much duller gray

Blue wrens i see often though not every day

 

In bulky nest of lichen and dried bits of hay

Tiny pea sized pale brown dotted eggs in low bush she does lay

In backyards of humans they do not seem that shy

They let you get quite close to them before into cover they fly

In their range small birds one often does see

In backyards in towns and yards and gardens in the country

Their lives very short two years maybe

Too small against bigger birds to defend a territory

They live on tiny insects they find on the ground

Their long thin tails cocked as they hop around

Quite interesting small birds of them one can say

They often fall victims to cats and to birds of prey

They have a distinctive squeaky little song

And once seen and once heard one never again get them wrong

In town parks and gardens they seem almost tame

And blue wrens for them does seem an apt name.

Today I May Feel A Stranger

Today i may feel a stranger in my first homeplace 

Where mine to many was a known face

Claraghatlea within walking distance of Millstreet Town

Where on old Clara Mountain as ever looks down

Some i went to school with among the deceased now lay

And some in Duhallow did not choose to stay

And some who are ageing in the homeplace like me showing time's decay

With the passage of time we do age by the day

Where i grew to love Nature when i was a boy

And learning of her ways today i enjoy

In this beautiful and sunny place in this Land far south

Of the fields of the rooks and waterways of the brown trout

Today perhaps the old fields i loved would look much the same

Some of them even had their own given name.

Not Destined To Die Old

As they lay chewing their cuds in the paddock they do not have a care 

It is only of the now that they are aware

Three years old well conditioned in market soon to be sold

They were born into life not destined to die old

In the early Summer in December after a mild and damp Spring

Such weather that a financial bonus to the beef farmer does bring

From eating nutritious young grass his steers on a rapid weight gain

On what will be a finanmcially profitable Season for him no reason for to complain

In the shade of the trees out of the warmth of a sunny and a warm Summer's day

The contented cattle chewing their cuds lay

Without seeming to realize that their end is near

They will not be living this time next year

Suppose they are lucky that they do not realize

That they are fast approaching their final sunrise

It can be said of us humans that we are unlucky in a way

On that we do realize for us there is a final day.

The Greatest Gift

I may not be wealthy or talented yet nonetheless

The greatest gift of all i does possess

The great gift of life without it i would not exist

Of all human gifts it does top every list

The sun it is shining a soft breeze blowing from the saltwater bay

How great to be living on such a nice day

The wild birds are singing on the bushes and trees

Their music is carrying in the freshening breeze

A weather temperature high for the day of a sunny twenty four degrees

The warm air full of the buzzing of bush flies and bees

Above the wildflowers in the paddocks white butterflies flitting about

On this beautiful day in December in this place in the far south

In a Human World where billions of people compete for material and financial success

Life remains the greatest gift anyone does possess.

John Masefield

He was England's Poet Laureate for quite a long time

John Masefield the poet who wrote stories in rhyme

With words he was one who surely had a way

His genius is living in his poems today

The Daffodil Fields, Reynard The Fox and The Everlasting Mercy

In these and other poems the Ledbury Poet created his own history

Such long narrative poems as Dauber, Lollingdon Downs and The Widow In The By Street

With the best story poems in English literature do favourably compete 

John Masefield of life enjoyed a lengthy span

He became a sailor as a young man

He did live his poetry of him one can say

He was one from his writing who earned his pay

One of the last great rhyming poets of the past

In the nineteen sixties he breathed his last  

His poems have long outlived him and joy to many do bring

And his many admirers his praises does sing.

It All Comes To Nothing

It all comes to nothing old Johnny does say

Since for all of us there is a last night and day

What any of us achieved in life comes to nothing in the end

We are born to mortality why otherwise pretend

Many times a great grand-dad divorced from Kate his wife

He feels rather happy on his own in life

Kate is remarried to Dave of Johnny a former friend

In life a new love often begin when an old love does end

Johnny he may be growing old on his own

But you will not hear him say of happier days he has known

Though balding and grey haired he looks well for eighty nine

And every day he enjoys a glass or two of red wine

On Saturday evening in the local pub in the hour of song

He always joins in the chorus of the sing along

For one of his age his memory serves him well

And of his life he does have many stories to tell

Old Johnny says we only can learn from the past

And you should live every day as if it is your last

We are born into life to eventually die

A fact of our existence and fact never lie.

John Clare

John Clare he did not have a literary degree

He learned from Nature her lessons were free

From a Helpston herdboy to one of literary note

His name lives today as a great Nature poet

As a wordsmith John Clare with words had a way

He learned from Nature something new every day

From the elders of the Village he learned about fauna and flora as a boy

And writing about Nature he surely did enjoy

The poems of John Clare were born of  joy and tears

He died in Northampton mental asylum where he had lived for years

Since he breathed his last one hundred and fifty five years in time has gone

Yet he is the only one from his Village whose name does live on

As a person of note in literary history

Though he lived and died in poverty

England's greatest Nature poet many literary experts do say

His legend is living in his poems today.

Of Nature We Learn

Of Nature we learn something new every day 

And for lessons from her we do not need to pay

The warm Summer air full of the buzzing of bees

And the wild birds are singing on the bushes and trees

A weather forecast high for the day of  twenty three degrees

And white butterflies seemingly dancing in the freshening breeze

That in the leafy branches gently soughs it's way

December a beautiful time of year in truth one can say

Just a few clouds of grey in the mostly blue sunny sky

And young birds chirp as in and out of hedgerows they do fly

December in the far south always a nice time of year

With the holiday Season of Christmas quite near

The countryside looking green after the recent rain

With such pleasant weather it seems hard to complain

And the paddocks looking resplendent after the recent late Spring showers

Quite beautiful in their colours of Nature's wildflowers.

The Child Of Poor Parents

The child of poor parents the young girl or boy

Are perhaps happier playing with their Christmas toy

Than the children of the town's wealthiest parents who with their expensive toys are never satisfied

And their disappointment in this make no attempt for to hide

Wisdom from a sage from the days of old

Happiness with money cannot be bought or sold

Many of the wealthy on the wealthy side of the town

Despite their abundance in money often feel mentally down

Of the praises of money you will hear many sing

And though it is quite important it is not everything

Suppose the more one has the more one does want and need

Of  life's many truisms this is one indeed

The wealthy parents for toys a lot of money did pay

But their children with their expensive presents are not happy today.

Julia Gillard The Exception

Australia's first and only woman Prime Minister Julia Gillard not in politics today

And of politics does not have anything in public for to say

Unlike the living male former Prime Ministers who on politics keep waffling on

Without seeming to realize that their term in power has gone

When Julia was Prime Minister a lot of negative press she did receive

But this was negative and sexist political and press driven anti female behaviour one has to believe

Her amazing speech in Parliament on anti female sexism online famous Worldwide

For women a memory for to savour in pride

All bar one of Australia's former living Prime Ministers have not grown prudent or wise

Julia Gillard the exception one does come to realize

To stay in the political limelight she feels no desire

In her the women of Australia have a lot to admire

On the day she left Parliament was the last day 

On politics she had anything in public to say.

Not A Wise Thing

To try to look into the future is not a wise thing

For who is to say what tomorrow will bring

You may be a young person but who is to say

When the Reaper of lives will come reaping your way

People die as children and teenagers and in their lives prime

The Reaper of lives can visit you at anytime

Those who live for a century are of the rare few

And this is not saying anything that is new

It may serve you well to remember what the wise person said

Live for the now and never look too far ahead

Live and be happy for as long as you possibly can

For your term of living of time may not be a long span

Live in the now for yesterday has gone

Tomorrow for everyone will not dawn and life will go on.

The Conspirators

People without a mind of their own

Their sort Worldwide in numbers have grown

They are not that hard to deceive

On a conspiracy they willingly believe

They believe those who from broadcasting lies stand to gain

Which goes in some way to explain

Why those who in discretion does seem to be of in need

At convincing them to their way of thinking they succeed

Political and others looked on as important leaders Worldwide

On spreading of falsehoods does seem to take pride

From their easy to deceive admirers the truth they disguise

And they are quite good at broadcasting of lies

Those who from spreading of falsehoods do financially well

Become quite wealthy from the lies they do tell.

So Proud Of Their Son

His mum and dad are so proud of their son the company c e o

That he is a huge success they will tell you so

He has climbed to the top of the ladder to success

And with his wife and children live at an exclusive uptown address

In public his mum and dad of their son sing his praises loud

He surely has made them feel so very proud

In life a big winner in a material way

But that material success does not prove the true worth of a person only true to say

One of the wealthy of the wealthier side of the town

Who never helps in any way the financially down

He is not one of those who does give to receive

On the promotion of the self he does only believe

His mum and his dad of him so very proud

In public they like to sing his praises loud.

Of A Good Education

Of a good education he has papers to show

But of Nature's ways so much he does have to know 

On some ways he is quite bright and on other ways slow

To him a currawong is a species of crow

Yet he would have you believe that he knows everything

And his own praises he certainly loves to sing

He will tell you of his uni degrees

And that his sort of knowledge does not grow on trees

That he has so much to learn he does not realize

Well educated in one subject but not very wise

Those who believe they know everything have nothing to learn of at all

Are words of old wisdom worthy of recall

Well educated in one subject but in many ways slow

To him a currawong is a species of crow.

They Used To Be Friends

They used top be friends but nowadays they are foes

Many human relationships work in this way one does have to suppose

For many years in business together as friends they did not stay

Nowadays of each other they do not have one nice thing to say

A dispute over money to hatred between them gave rise

And their dislike for each other they make no attempt to disguise

For dishonesty each other in public they blame

And hatred between them has taken to flame

Nowadays they treat each other in silence when they do meet

As strangers they pass each other on the street 

In business together and best friends up to a few years ago

Your best friend of the past today can be your foe

They fell out over money which is not a surprise

And mistrust between them to hatred has given rise.

Every Phone Call From Michael Kelleher

Every phone call from Michael Kelleher takes me far away

To that place where we first looked on the lamp of day

Claraghatlea just west of the Town of Millstreet

In the green countryside where the waterways meet

Though the changes in Millstreet are happening fast

He still likes to talk of his days of the past

And his friends there many of them ageing today

Good memories live on as the wise one did say

In nineteen sixty nine when his hair was light brown

Michael Kelleher left claraghatlea near Milltsreet Town

To work in Australia with his uncle Phil

Far south of his birthplace in view of  Clara's Hill

Out of Millstreet Michael Kelleher has lived the most of his life

With the lovely Rosemary nee Cronan his Australian wife

Grandparents many changes in Millstreet since then

Their children now middle aged women and men

In his working life as a pipe layer he worked hard for his pay

Michael Kelleher is in happy retirement today

Far south of Claraghatlea his first homeplace

In San Remo in South Gippsland in Victoria his is a known face.

Arrogance Does Not Have An Age To It

He told me yesterday was his birthday number ninety one

I offered to him my congratulations and a well done

It has been many years since he was in his life's prime

Though he is one who does not seem over-wrinkled from time

The hair on his balding head dyed chestnut brown

One of the arrogant aged males of the town

Though i knew i was not talking to a wise old sage

I told him he looked rather well for his age

A compliment that did seem to suit him quite well

Since by his body language the ego in him had begun to swell

He said in my youth i was a champion athlete

And today with males many years younger with success i compete

His own praises he seems quite willing to sing

With many nowadays this does seem an in thing

Arrogance does not have an age to it only true to say

Arrogant males young and old one does meet every day

For his age he is one who is light on his feet

But thanks be to goodness he is one i do not often meet

The arrogant males of the World are not rare

Am i telling you something of you are aware.

Ross Altmann

Koroit's greatest sculptor the artist named Ross

His huge body of work on display in Southern Cross

Just over three kilometres from Koroit Town

He is well on his way to far greater renown

The sculptings of Ross Altmann over time in value have grown

Through his work he is one who has become widely known

A character of sorts of him one can say

He is one who does make a new friend every day

Better known as a sculptor his work does readily sell

But a very good poet and a painter as well

A distinctive  character in his early sixties a former bricklayer by trade

But true artists like he is are born not made

In the Moyne Shire and Warrnambool most people know or know of Ross

With a huge body of work at Southern Cross.

For Every Big Winner

In a Human World where some have too much to drink and eat

Of alcohol, fish, vegetables, fruit and meat

Many are slowly dying of malnutrition every day

Of a fair go for all we do seem far away

The gap between the wealthy and the poor keeps on growing ever wide

That inequality is on the increase cannot be denied

Death the one the majority of people does fear

Among people the equalizer is obviously clear

In a World where people of money rule every town

Life is always tough on the financially down

Only the wealthy have a god on their side

And the poor sad to say growing poorer Worldwide

For every big winner many have to lose

And losing is a thing anyone does not choose.

Seano Murphy

Seano Murphy in Millstreet Town first saw light of day

Quite a likeable fellow of him one can say

Perhaps in his eighties ageing in Knocknagree

Doubtless as he always was today of cares he seems free

An intelligent person of him one can say

And one kind and helpful in his own charming way

A handsome dark haired fellow in his physical prime

And this is going back many Seasons in time

Although time like it is to all has become his foe

He would not have changed much from the Seano he was years ago

One of the finest dancers so lively on his feet

When he was in his prime in the Star of Millstreet

Growing old in Knocknagree one of Millstreet's own

Seano Murphy to many well liked and well known.

Those Who Don't Take Themselves Too Seriously

In a Human World where billions of people for success compete

And a new challenge every day many does have to meet

Those who do not take themselves too seriously one has to admire

Great fame and great riches in life not their desire

With what they have got they feel quite satisfied

And you never hear them say life is not on their side

On the ladder to success they feel no desire to climb far

And they feel happy for to own a second hand car

They never do daydream of great wealth and fame

And feel happy that theirs is not a well known name

Their sort are always nice people of to know

Since they do have in them the bright inner glow

For fame and for wealth they are not in the race

As they like to live life at a leisurely pace.

We All Do Belong

We all do belong to the human family

Though of different races and different culturally

And of different nationalities though  sexually some of us mix and breed

Originally we all are of a similar seed

Though it seems a sad thing to be of aware

That the racists among us as ever not rare

Of racism as such we may never be free

Not in my lifetime anyway it does seem to me

There are racists Worldwide in every village, city and town

Who on those who are dsifferent to them does choose to look down

People who never harmed them in any way they do treat as foes

Humanity is comprised of all sorts one does have to suppose

The non racist people one can only admire

And of singing their praises it does seem hard to tire.

The Leader To You

The leader to you may not be so to me

Since we look at things in our ways differently

To sheep most of us humans behave similar in one way

As we follow the one we look up to our leader every day

Even many who are living in extreme poverty

And in the Human World they are not in a minority

Have people they look up to as leaders and greatly admire

And just to be like them in life their desire

Yet some leaders the trust that their followers place on them betray

And leaders of their sort are not rare in truth one can say

Through different eyes difference we does see

The leader to you may not be so to me.

Pop

He is one who does not lead a trouble free life

He has lived for many years with a cranky wife

A verbal spray from her he often does cop

His son and daughter call him dad his grandchildren call him pop

To the rare gentle sort of male he does belong

Though not a physical weakling he is tall, broad shouldered and strong

His much smaller and petite looking wife bosses him around

In human relationships contradictions often abound

He loves her the only reason with her he does stay

And put up with her verbal abuse every day

Like as in everything in life does not go to plan

In every relationship between men and women the abusive one is not always the man

For some for falling in love there can be a price to pay

This is how it is and it was always this way.

Though Many On This

Though many on this may not believe

There is truth in the saying those who give does receive

This is how it does seem to me anyway

If you wish for good Karma for it you must pay

Those who never choose for to help anyone

And for themselves only good things have ever done

And since they do never sow Karma's good seed

It will not be with them on their time of need

With what i am saying on this many may not agree

But it is each to their own is how it seems to be

To me Karma is real despite what many does say

We will reap in the future what we sow today

I am just one of those who happen to believe

That in life we must give if we wish to receive.

If Ever Again

If ever again i go back to Millstreet 

I will walk through the fields to where the waterways meet

Where i used to walk many Seasons ago

Long before time it did become my foe

Where i first grew to love Nature as a young boy

And learning of her ways today i enjoy

In this beautiful place in this Land far south

Of the fields of the rooks and waterways of the brown trout

Here in the home of koala, black wallaby and grey kangaroo

And emu, echidna and galah and yellow tailed black cockatoo

Time that ages all life has left it's mark on me

And the grey fog on Clara i may never more see

Only memories remain of con the master's and matty owens bog

where i often hunted with pudsy the dog

All i do have now are memories of the past

To reflect on a youth that seemed to pass far too fast

We are born into life to die eventually

And the past just a memory of the what used to be

What tomorrow holds for us who is to say

The now is what matter and the now is today

If ever i return to Millstreet in Duhallow the young people there would say

Who is the balding old bloke with hair of silver gray

So perhaps here in the coastal Moyne Shire suppose i will stay

And remember the old fields i loved far away.

She Is A Great Teacher

Of Nature we learn something new every day 

She is a great teacher in truth one can say

If open to learning we receive knowledge until the day we do die

Though what is true to one to another is a lie

Nature is one who has ways of her own

And so much about her remains to be known

Even by people who on her have their university degrees

As is said of knowledge it does not grow on trees

Of many more human friends Nature is in need

And those who do love her are lucky indeed

For she is a great teacher of this i feel no doubt

And of her there is so much to learn about

Nature as a teacher her equals are few

And every day of her we learn something new.

It Was Not My Choice

It was not my choice to be born near the Town of Millstreet

In the green countryside where the waterways meet

But it was my choice to migrate from there long ago

That we do have some choices happens to be so

The Millstreet i grew up in would be different today

For time brings with it changes life works in this way

Nowadays Duhallow is new home to many a race

Where many migrants refer to it as their homeplace

Where i would be a stranger to many and few would know me by name

Those old fields i used to love would look much the same

As they did when i was younger many years ago

Long before time it did become my foe

And only the memories today do remain

Of what used to be and will not be again.

Time Does Not Wait

Time does not wait only true for to say

Every day we live one nearer to our last day

For this thing known as success with others we compete

And for most people in life many a challenge to meet

Life in many ways like a game of football

Of the fame and the glory the winner takes all

And though winning is what everybody does choose

In the Human World for one to win big many do have to lose

It is far harder to reach the summit of success than it is to slide down

There are far more losers than winners in every town

But despite all of this one must ask what life is about

For to death in the end everyone does lose out

And death treats the wealthy and the poor as equal on the day

When on their lives it does have the final say.

Not Hard To Radicalize

It is true that opinions can come at a cost

And because of them friendships have been known to be lost

The passionate can carry their opinions to the extreme

Some tend to get carried away with their beliefs it would seem

It is known that beliefs held by people Worldwide

Those who once were friends have been known to divide

It is true that some with their beliefs does get carried away

And can become violent and dangerous to enforce their say

Religion, politics, nationality and race can be a conversational no

As they divide people happens to be so

People for their beliefs commit violent crime

And as punishment are sentenced to prison to serve years of time

The truth of strong beliefs one comes to realize

That some people are not hard to radicalize.

No Guarantee

The past just a memory of the what used to be

And into the future is there one who can see?

The now is what matter as the wise one did say

And at the stroke of midnight the past will be today

Yesterday he had great dreams of the years ahead

But as a result of a car accident this morning he is now of the dead

And Kate  in her nineties healthy and looking well

With so many stories of her long life to tell

As is said of life there is no guarantee

The young man in his early twenties has been outlived by the woman of  ninety three

As the granddad did say to his granddaughter and grandson

Tomorrow will dawn but not for everyone

Feel grateful for every day you wake to see

On how long you will live there is no guarantee.

I Did Not Leave My Past

I did not leave my past it was my past left me

Since nowadays i see life through eyes differently

I used to follow the leaders many years ago

But that time can bring with it changes happens to be so

The one without a tribe in some ways is lost

For change as is said it can come at a cost

Nowadays i do not have a tribe the price one must pay

For looking at life in a different way

From community and tribal groupings individualism can come at a price

This is what usually happen when you live by your own choice

Those not in a tribe are looked on as strange

Though in the Human World they try to create change

My past did not leave me i left my past

And of the ways of the tribe i feel free at last.

Great Fans Of Polluters

Worldwide interests in sports such as tennis and golf and all codes of football  

And on the welfare of the Planet that feeds us few show interests at all 

And car and motor bike racing  with carbon polluting the sky

Why we are great fans of polluters one does wonder why

We admire people who become multi billionaires by digging huge holes in the ground

The noise created by the industrial revolution to many is a beautiful sound

The noise of cars, trucks, buses and heavy machinery drown out birdsong

On dwindling wildlife numbers due to habitat destruction many see nothing wrong

Thanks to the power that be for those who are environmentally aware

They realize that the Earth that does feed us with other creatures we should share

Elite sportspeople and famous and wealthy entertainers and billionaires far too many admire

And just to be like them in life their desire.

Private Property Signs

On the entrance to their property a keep out sign on the gate

So many signs of this sort i have seen of late

They only welcome their wealthy friends and family all others they exclude

By their public display of exclusion they must be rather rude

We are only tenants in this World until the day we die

Those who will tell you differently believe in their own lie

They cannot take their property with them when from life they pass away

No private property keep out signs on the grave sites where the dead lay

They may will their property to family members or it decide to sell

And from the sale price for themselves do financially well

But they cannot take it with them to their final tiny patch of ground

The one who said death is the equalizer said something quite profound

The sign on the entrance gate reading Private Property Keep Out

Shows the arrogance of deed ownership and this goes without doubt.

It Has Become Obvious To Me

It has become obvious to me that in the Parish and the Town of Millstreet

That i would not be made feel welcome there by everyone i would meet

Perhaps today than there  i may even feel more at home

In Melbourne, Paris, London, or New York or Rome

Though of passion on some subjects i do not go in lack

On anyone i never make a personal written or verbal attack

I have never been offensive to any private citizen in word or in rhyme

And i am one who has written a lot since my physical prime

In rhyme i am one who likes to have my say

But never in a personal or  an offensive way

In life some people choose you as their enemy

If on all of their values with them you do not agree

I will always love Millstreet but some people in Millstreet do not love me

And it saddens me to think that this has to be

Since personally any of them i never criticize

But then not everybody does love you one comes to realize

The closing of the Millstreet Town Park for coursing in December has caused a community divide

Such issues though not as similar cause divisions in towns Worldwide

Some people tend to get nasty if they do not get their way

That extremism has many faces to it only true to say

Since some hostility there i fear i may meet

I will not be in a hurry to return to Millstreet

In the Land of the marsupials i feel happy to stay

From my first homeplace in Duhallow in distance far away.

A Male Blackbird Is Singing

Under a darkening sky of a December day

A male blackbird is singing in the twilight gray

The same song as his kin bird i often heard long ago

Long before time it did become my foe

From where i now live in distance far away

Often on evenings in April and May

Male blackbirds in the gray twilight did sing

The orange billed black feathered minstrels of Spring

The song of the blackbird takes me to a place far

That from here one could not drive to by car

Where i grew to love Nature as a young boy

And learning of her ways today i enjoy

In this beautiful place in distance far south

Of the fields of the rooks and waterways of the brown trout.

The Last Parliamentary Sitting

The last Parliamentary sitting before the Summer recess

And verbal vulgarity as usual it is in excess

Where grown men behave worse than unruly boys

And so much vulgarity among the shouting and noise

In parliamentary sitting insult to laughter gives rise

One would expect our elected representatives to be more prudent and wise

Than insulting their political opponents verbal advantage to seek

Parliament today as it ever was no place for the humble and meek

The last sitting day before recess in parliament and crassness abound

Where of the loudness of their own rudeness they seem to like the sound

Where arrogant parliamentarians their own and their parties praises does sing

Lighthearted humor and respect of difference is not their thing

In the Parliament of the Nation before Christmas the last sitting day

Arrogance and insult abound it is always this way.

It Is True Sameness

I went to see life in the big World out there

Only to find things much the same everywhere

There are good and bad people in every village and city and town

Of all different races of black, white and brown

That we learn as we live is only true to say

And in life we do learn something new every day

And the more we do learn the more we come to realize

That we are not as knowledgeable as we think we are or not as wise

The flaws that in others i happen to see

Are only the flaws that are also in me

And the good things in others we does recognize

Are also in us we do come to realize

For to see some of the World i left my first homeplace

Where to many today mine would be a stranger's face

Only to realize that everywhere people are much the same

It is true sameness is the same Worldwide for want to it of a better name.

Rest In Peace Woody Guthrie

Rest in peace Woody Guthrie his songs do live on 

Though the last breath of life from him has been long gone

Even though long deceased to those struggling to cope

In his songs well alive he does offer some hope 

This Land Is Your Land his most famous song

To generations of Americans it does belong

A song against the narcissistic wealthy who have keep out signs on the gates of their residental address

And with the power of money among the less privileged create exclusion and unhappiness

Rest in peace Woody Guthrie his songs live today

Among those who believe on for all a fair go and fair play

As a writer of protest songs he led the way

His words have long outlived his bodily decay

Rest in peace Woody Guthrie of him none can deny

In his songs for all to make a better World to live in at least he did try

Those who deny him of greatness are stating a lie

As his voice did not fall silent on the day he did die.

Racism To It

Racism to it does not have a colour or creed

But it does have it's source in a common seed

It does not belong to one Country it is Worldwide

Of humanity sadly an uglier side

It is something of many of would be aware

That the racists among us are no longer rare

People looked on as inferior due to their Nationality or race

In humanity for it there ought not be a place

Since red is the blood we all shed when we bleed

Of racists and racism humanity is not in need

In their thinking they do not believe in equality 

But sadly humanity of their sort will never be free

Since they do not have in them the bright inner glow

Racists they are not nice people to know.

Only Happens To Be So

Yesterday we were one day younger we do age a bit by the day

And nobody ever grows younger life does not work in this way

In her time the town's greatest beauty in brown hair dye she cloaks her gray

A grandmother in her late fifties youth with anyone does not stay

Her husband left her for one younger and time it has become her foe

No longer the beauty that she was going back a few decades ago

Though of her diet she is quite careful she struggles to keep her weight down

Of late she has taken to jogging after work in the park of the town

That time becomes everyone's master is a thing one ought not to deny

We cannot recapture our lost youth though to do so in our hardest we try

The men who admired her in her prime years nowadays younger women admire

And the one man close to her age who her does fancy to get to know she feels no desire

The fairest in the town in her prime years going back a few decades ago

That time fades the greatest of beauty only happens to be so.

Learning From Nature

Those who know most about Nature are all too aware

That her secrets with humans she never will share

Those who do love her learn from her every day

That she is a great teacher only true to say

The more people learn about  Nature the more they come to realize

That of her they have so much to learn this not a surprise

Nature who helps Mother Earth to grow the food on which we do live

In her flora and fauna so much joy to us give

So little about Nature i can claim of to know

Yet my wonderment of her it only does grow

I first grew to love her as a young boy

And learning of her ways today i enjoy

That we learn as we live is not a lie

And we will be learning from Nature until the day we do die.

A Great Person

Where i only see ugliness beauty she see

The woman in ways far superior to me

Anybody you never hear her criticize

For her sort for understanding and kindness and tolerance their ought be a prize

She truly is a wonderful person indeed

Always helping those of  helping in need

She has the gift of giving a quite a wonderful thing

Yet of  her praises you never hear anyone sing

The love that is in her with others she share

People like her to say the least are rare

So much good for others down the years she has done

And you never hear her criticize anyone

She is a person i can only admire

And of singing her praises i never could tire.

The Ego Boosters

Many who are wealthy and  famous in the Human World of today

Have rather big egos it does seem fair to say

The adulation of their admirers to their heads have gone

To the point they believe without them that life would not go on

Of singing their praises their fans never seem to tire

And create such big egos in those they admire

Among the wealthy and famous the humble are few

And this is not saying anything that is new

The admiring masses in those they celebrate

Huge egos and narcissism only create

In the people of great wealth and fame Worldwide

And on so doing help to widen the gap in the social divide

Most of them have rather big egos in truth one can say

The wealthy and famous in the World of today.

On The Passing Of Eddy Tucker

 Eddy Tucker in Ballydaly first saw light of day 

And in Whitegate he died from his birthplace an hour by car away

A historian and humanist one of a great mind

He was one who was caring and friendly and kind

One who did make friends easily and was well liked and well known

Eddy was one who had who had a charm of his own

Sad to think never more to be seen in the flesh again

In him Ballydaly's loss was surely Whitegate's gain

One who will be grieved by friends and family

All of us born to life to die eventually

He will be remembered for his goodness and his honesty

He truly was a person of integrity

The last breath of life from his mortal body may have gone

But in all who knew him good memories of Eddy Tucker will live on

In The Home Of

In the home of koala, black wallaby and gray kangaroo far south

Of the fields of the badger and brown hare  and the waterways of the brown trout

And far south of where years ago i went to school

I am ageing in the coastal lands near Warrnambool

Perhaps i will never climb on Clara again

Or walk in the fields in the wind that bring rain

To that beautiful spot where the waterways meet

In that green countryside by the town of Millstreet 

In the home of emu, galah, echidna, corella and weerloo

The birds known to many as yellow tailed black cockatoo

I am learning new things of Nature every day

We never stop learning in truth one can say

Far south of where i grew to love Nature when i was a boy

Learning of her ways today i enjoy.

A Great Person

Beauty in others she only does see

And with all of  her neighbours she lives in harmony

She and her husband in their eighties one often does meet

Walking every day in the park by their street

A great grandmother she volunteers for Vincent De Paul

In the fight against poverty she answers the call

To those who are doing it tough a good friend indeed

She never turns her back on those of help in need

If everyone were like her the World would be free

Of hunger and homelessness and poverty

Every day of her life a new friend she does win

She helps to make the World better to live in

On helping those in life who are doing it tough

The hungry and homeless who live and sleep rough.

On Self Love

If you cannot love yourself you cannot love anyone

The person who first said this if living ought to be well done

For it is something that remains ever true

How can you love anyone if you do not love you

Self love and narcissism are very different indeed

As different as one can say as a rose is from a weed

Narcissism is not self love it is obsession with self in the extreme

Though on this opinions may differ or so it does seem

Those who have love of self have love in them for to share

And of the needs of others they are quite aware

The generous, kind and compassionate people on their side of the town

Always helping the poor and the financially down

Those with genuine love of self  in them in numbers may not abound

And they have an abundance of love for to share around.

In November In The Moyne Shire

In November in the Moyne Shire what a lovely time of year

Close to the calendar Summer warmer weather to the coastal lands near

The coastal lands wearing Nature's flowers lush and green from recent rain

With such pleasant often sunny weather one ought not for to complain

Nice to see the early white butterflies seemingly dancing in the freshening breeze

And in the warm air of the afternoon the buzzing of bush flies and bees

Contented cattle gaining weight on young grass in the cool shade of the trees

Lay chewing their cuds on pleasant temperatures of around twenty degrees

Nesting birds singing their finest on the last days of the Spring 

And the sweet scent of grass mowed for hay or silage always such a pleasant thing

In November from the coastal Moyne Shire Earthly Utopia never far away

The sun is shining in the mostly blue sky no rain in the forecast today

Everywhere one turns to look Nature's beauty one does see

And the beauty Nature creates for to view is always free.

The Best That You Can Be

You can live to be a better person to be the best that you can be

If you only look for flaws in others your own flaws you cannot see

No shortage of judgmental people they have never been of the few

That humanity needs more of the self effacing is not saying anything that is new

If you do not like another person of her or him negative things do not say

The judgmental for their judgments never receive any pay

For to live as a better person it is really up to you

It is not for the good things you do for yourself  the good things for others that you do

Says more about you as a person those who are generous and kind

On looking for the flaws in others never are that way inclined

For to be a better person with your own self you begin

In every just and honourable person their goodness comes from within

Good things that you do for others in return you will receive

What goes around always does comes around though many on this does not believe.

He Has His Good Memories

Gray haired balding and showing the worse for wear

But of his life he has many stories to share

Of his travels in his better days long ago

Long before time it did become his foe

Does not know if he has fathered children as  he has never had a long term partner or wife

Women they came to and went from his life

A drainer a shearer and a building worker as well

Of his itinerant working life he has many stories to tell

In his late eighties running out of time

Five decades beyond his physical prime

A motor car accident a few years ago left him in a wheelchair

But you will never hear him say that life is unfair

A former itinerant worker from a town far away

In a home for the aged he will live his last day

Eventually time becomes everyone's foe

But he has his good memories of the long ago

Luckier Than Most

I am luckier than most people in truth i can say

In the natural beauty i see around me every day 

Amazing sights i do not have to pay for to see

The beauty in Nature everywhere around me

On this sunny November evening in the far southern Spring

The wildborn nesting birds does whistle and sing

And the black and white birds who sing every day of the year

The warbling of the magpies as ever pleasant to hear

In a few days in December the calendar Summer does begin

In this beautiful place for to be living in

The wildflowers of Nature in bloom everywhere about

Of the far warmer tropics in this place far south

And the coastal paddocks lush and green after the recent rain

With such pleasant weather how could one complain.

The Forsaken One

She stood by him when he was not doing financially well in life

And to him she was devoted a good and loving wife

In her early sixties dying of canceer as a single woman today

The man she loved truly with her did not stay 

Their son and daughter partnered with children living far away

She may never more see them which seems sad to say

He did not stay with her when she needed him most

Him and his attractive younger partner to their love for each other regularly drink a toast

Not among the honourable males of the town

Due to his forsaking of  the one who stood by him when he was mentally and financially down

A woman for her kindness and compassion on her better days known

On her palliative ward bed she is dying on her own

And the man that she loved and for many years to was wed

Could not seem to care less that in a few weeks she will be dead

The Renter

A renter one who does not own his own home

And he no longer belongs to the Church of Rome

He does not have a religion or a god to for to pray

Catholicism years ago he gave away

Like most renters he is one that few does admire

And just to live like him anyone does not inspire

His two daughters in their early twenties are living elsewhere

And seeking their fortune in the big World out there

A handsome enough fellow in his brown hair some gray

He turned forty six on his last birthday

His ex wife remarried as a well to do man's wife

With a renter not happy to live all of her life

The part of  the good living citizen in life he does play

He does work rather hard for far from good take home pay

Like most every renter not one of the well known

He does not have a partner he lives on his own

A member and a fan of the local football club 

After work he enjoys a few beers in the pub

Without the affection of a partner or wife

He does not have a good social or a love life

You May Not Be

You may not be wealthy and famous though good things should  your due

You remain a decent person to your higher self trying to live as true

Always willing to help other people in life less fortunate than you

Not on any way self centered good things for others you do

Yet you do live as a stranger even to local renown

Not looked on as a higher achiever or one of the admired of your side of the town

Never in the public limelight your own praises you never sing

Yet you live as kind and caring and happiness to others try to bring

Like many who are kind and caring you never yearn for wealth and fame

Mainly it is the aspirational and ambitious who for themselves do make a name

People who are kind and generous are an asset to humanity

If only everyone were like you the World would be free of poverty

Not one of the wealthy and famous admired for their material success

As a caring person you help others though your sort few ever impress.

A Coursing Rant

The closure of the Millstreet Town Park for hare coursing by the committee of the Millstreet Coursing club

Of late a hotly disputed topic online and in many a Duhallow pub

By the pro and anti coursing people strong feelings to angry words give rise

That such feelings can become emotive in reality no surprise

I used to be a fan of coursing this is going back many years

And if today the Irish Government ban it i for one will not be shedding tears

But of course the Government will not ban it since they would lose votes in the process

Though the anti coursing people their strong views in public will express

In Duhallow coursing not a big craze less talked of  than Hurling and Gaelic Football stars

And famed athletes and rally drivers at night in the public bars

Many condemn coursing people this to say the least quite sad

Of them in past years i have known many and in them could not see any bad

Hare coursing has changed quite a lot it seems far less cruel today

Coursing dogs nowadays are muzzled when they chase their natural prey

Coursing fans are not cruel people despite what anti coursing people think or say

When the hare makes good it's escape from them there's a loud hooray

Those who cannot walk in the Millstreet Town Park due to coursing in December should have no reason to complain

In Winter in wet old Ireland not many days without some rain

When mature trees were removed in the Millstreet Town Park one has to wonder where were they

How many of them were then protesting and of this what had they to say?

Environmental damage by us humans is far worse than hare coursing this is how it seems to me

And i am one when i was younger who did cut down many a tree

This makes me look quite hypocritical many would see it this way

But from our mistakes we do learn what i was i am not today

In December when old Clara wears a Winter hat of snow

And Finnow to the Blackwater bank high by Millstreet Town does flow

In Millstreet Town by the mountain many a wet and wintery day

And only the foolhardy a visit to the Town Park does pay

For those protesting the closing of the Millstreet Town Park i feel no sympathy at all

If this is their biggest worry then their worries are quite small

And if coursing is banned in Ireland i will not be shedding tears

I will just get on with my life as i have been doing for years.