Maud Clunes

Maud Clunes she does say she has had it with men

Three months ago she parted with her partner Ben 

When news of his infedilities did reach her ears

Her's is not the first love affair to end in tears

A grandmother for many years she was George Clunes faithful wife

But he left her and nowadays has one younger in his life

Maud in her early sixties attractive looking with hair of silver gray

She is one who is ageing in the natural way

For any more love affairs she does not have any plan

She says that Ben in her life is her last man

To two unfaifthful men  loyalty and love she did give

she vows to remain single for as long as she live

Unlucky in love of her one might say

And stories like her's one hears of every day.

Mother Nature Or Nature

Joy to so many she never fails to bring

And those who do love her of her praises do sing

Along with Mother Earth of more human friends of she is in need

Since many species of her wildborn creatures are losing out to human greed

The one who helps Mother Earth for to feed all

Living things including humans from the great to the small

Old growth trees she helped Mother Earth grow every day being cut down

For to build more factories in the ever expanding town

The beauty she helped to create seen in Countries Worldwide

In every city and town park and in every countryside

In every Season her great beauty to see

It is all around you and it is all around me

For the dwindling numbers of her wildlife us humans are mostle to blame

Mother Nature or Nature she goes by either name.

Happy People

Since she or he possess the bright inner glow

Of the happy person others of wish to know

Wherever they are at joy is to be found

They carry it with them and share it around

Few wish to know of the sad sacks of the town

Sad looking people in mood feeling down

With a friendly hello to everyone they does meet

The happy people spread joy on the street

Unhappy people as ever not rare

And they never does have happy stories to share

One reason that their friends are in the few

Is that others have their own worries not saying what is new

But happy people others of wish to know

Since they have in them the bright inner glow.

Mrs M

Mrs M believes god is not a male if there is a god this god must be a she

That only females can give birth to life forms though on this many with her would disagree 

The god she believes on is in Nature she says in her fauna and flora every day

I see the beauty that she does give birth to a beauty for i do not to view must pay

Mrs M a divorcee in her fifties a grandmother to the children of her daughter and son

She does not belong to a church or a religion though for poor people good things she has done

She says you do not need a god to feel for others to help those who of help are in need

Those who help others deserve good Karma since for it they regularly do sow the seed

Mrs M a friend of our Earth Mother community tree planting days she always does attend

She says due to human greed our Earth Mother is suffering and she is in need of every human friend

She is not one of the town's more famous people ageing with grace her hair is silver gray

But she is an attractive looking woman and kind of heart in her own gentle way

She does not have a partner or a lover quite happy for to live on her own

She believes if there is a god this god is female since to give birth to life  females are only known.

Surfers Paradise

Surfers Paradise in south Queensland where Australia's wealthiest holidaymakers abound

A sunlit beach on the Gold Coast with skyscraper holiday hotels in the background

Those who holiday in Surfers Paradise are very wealthy people up to five hundred dollars for a night stay

It is not the sort of a place that any  poor person could hope to go to even for a brief holiday

The sugar daddys there wine and dine their young lovers their wives at home of their infedilities unaware

I only speak of a common occurence and something that is not known to be rare

Indigenous tribes fished and hunted in South Queensland long before the Europeans came

On aboriginal land  to build a sunlit City that is now known as the Gold Coast by name

It is hard to believe all of this did happen a little over two centuries ago

That people can change the landscape of a country for wealthy people happens to be so

In the Gold Coast parks many beautiful bird species migratory and non migratory do reside

But it is not for it's amazing avian beauty  that the Gold Coast is famous Worldwide

But for the skyscraper hotels of Surfers Paradise where only rich people can afford to stay

Some of them ageing males with their beautiful young lovers unbeknown to their wives on their brief  holiday.

Yes You Can

If you wish to make the World better to live in

With some betterment of your own self  you ought to begin

Any improvement of self is never too small

And this applies not only to you but to all

Good in the World you most certainly can do

By treating other people as you would like them to treat you

A fair go of anyone never deny

Live and let live to everyone does apply

By your acts of kindness for your future good Karma you can plant the seed

By helping if you can one of helping in need

When to those doing it tough some assistance you lend

To a better World to live in you become a good friend

Yes you can make the World better to live in.

An Honourable Man

An honourable man the octogenarian Joe

Growing old in a retirement home time has become his foe

The woman he loved Kate in a cemetery lay

Eight years ago from a long term illness she passed away

A sufferer of Jakob Disease for years for her he did care

On caring for her on her behalf no effort he did spare

To loyalty to one he loved he did remain true

And for this respect and credit is his due

Not all men and women loyal to love does stay

From a terminally ill partner they walk away

When loyalty was needed Joe did pass the test

One can say to live as a good person he gives of his best

Though his name will never be on a memorial wall

Of people not many as good as he is at all

In her time of most need he cared for his wife

And grieved for his loss when she passed from his life.

Everybody Grows Older

 Some people who have seen many a sunset and many a sunrise

In years have grown older but they have not grown wise

On their thinking on those different to them they seem rather amall

And over decades of time they have not changed at all

They are convinced that their ideas on life are right

The windows of their minds are closed to light

Their views on religion, culture, nationality and race

In discrimination does find a place

On a fair go for all they tell you they believe

But with their own words themselves they only deceive

Their idea of a fair go all does not include

But those who believe on a fair go are inclusive and do not exclude

Wisdom does not have an age to it one comes to realize

Everybody grows older but few does grow wise.

No Two People In Their Thinking

No two people in their thinking exactly the same

We are all individuals for want to it of a better name

Every day in life for many some new challenge to meet

And for success with each other many does compete

More losers than winners in the World every day

Suppose humanity is designed for to work on this way

Though sadly it all comes to nothing for everyone in the end

Since death never treats anyone as a friend

Even those of similar thinking on all things do not agree

In different eyes difference we does see

If we all agreed on all things we may live in harmony

But humanity to function right in thinking needs diversity

If we all agreed on all things how boring we would be

At least anyway this is how it seems to me.

On Peewees

Familiar black and white Australians one often does see

As they raise their wings they does call out peewee

In cup shaped nest high on branch of tree the female bird lay

Three to four eggs with pink spots through the gray

They are known as magpie lark or mudlark or as peewee due to their song

Once seen and once heard one never again get them wrong

They find their food small insects mostly on the ground

With their heads ever bobbing as they walk around

Their familiar song they sing every day of the year

Peewee peewee one often does hear

Among the many Australian species of birds one of the better known

One can say of them they have ways of their own

Once seen and once heard them you will know again

As memories of them are not hard to retain.

Anna

It is only in visualizations that Anna today

With her young friends children games does play

Going back in time some six decades ago

In her early seventies time has become her foe

A widowed great grandmother eight years ago her husband Jack

Died rather suddenly of  a massive heart attack

For months she grieved his passing but time is grief's healer she say

And he is now alive in her memory today

News of a fomer friend's passing of late did move her to tears

They were best friend in their childhood years

They went on different journeys in life

She raised her children in their hometown as a local man's wife

The sad news of her passing brought back memories of a happier time

When they were children long before their physical prime

Before her yearn for adventure took her to elsewhere

To try out her luck in the big World out there.

In Life Every Day

In life every day a new challenge to meet

And for this thing known as success many does compete

In the age of technology narcissism is rife

The obsession with the self for far more than a minority has become a way of life

But one has to ask is this what living life is about

Since eventually everyone by time is counted out

The elites of sports and entertainment are feted Worldwide

It seems like these are the people with a god on their side

In a Human World for one to win big many have to lose

Winning is the thing everybody does choose

Everybody cannot be a winner does seem true to say

In a fair Human World it would not be this way 

But those who climb highest have the furthest to fall

And time as is said it does take care of all.

Jim From Yorkshire

For his home countryside in England far away

Jim from Yorkshire he always feels homesick in May

Though he has lived in Australia for sixty five years

Memories of his Homeland has him close to tears

A great grandad  in his mid eighties his hair silver gray

His wife of sixty years June where the deceased are does lay

Two years ago of a massive heart attack she breathed her last

Death though not pain free came upon her fast

He grieved for his beloved June the great love of his life

She was his soul mate and his devoted wife

But that time is the healer does seem true to say

And with the octogenarian Jim it too is this way

In his semi detached red brick unit he lives on his own

In his neighbourhood he is well loved and well known

The accent he brought with him from far away

Despite his years in Australia is with him today

In his visualizations Jim often does see

Masses of white blossoms blooming on every hawthorn tree

From where he now lives in distance far away

In the green countryside of  Yorkshire in May.

Never For Money

With rhyming words i am one who just loves to play

And i add to my numbers of rhymes every day

But never for money or widespread fame

In literary circles mine is not a known name

It is true that a rhymer never runs out of rhyme

I wrote my first rhymes in my physical prime

This is going back many decades ago

And since time that ages has become my foe

And though my worth as a rhymer i have reason to doubt

No shortage of subject material for to write rhymes about

It is not saying anything in any way that is new

That the wealthy and famous writers are in the few

The rhymes that come to me in notebook i write down

But never for money or literary renown.

The Game Of Comparison

What others say of me why should i much care

Since of my human flaws i am all too aware

I realize not everyone of me has nice things to say

Though i never harm anyone in any sort of a way

I too can be judgmental i know all too well

Though on the imperfections of others anyone ought not to dwell

Live and let live seems a good idea

Though sadly this is not the way of humanity

The verbal game of people comparison is played every day

It is a game in that anybody can play

Perhaps it is only saying something that most people of are aware

That those who do not take part in the game of comparison to say the least are rare

But them for their game of comparing i ought not criticize

For i am not unlike them i have come to realize.

Mother Earth Does Need

Mother Earth does need more human friends on her side 

By people of greed she is being attacked Worldwide

Human greed gives rise to Global Warming that gives rise to Climate Change

And due to destruction of natural habitat many creatures have become endangered that were common on their range

Human beings must be responsible for many creatures becoming rare

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

The one who supports us all creates every new millionaire

But surely too few foe her does seem to care

Of the financial economy political chatter abound

But all wealth has it's source in Mother Earth's ground

The one we depend on to live of more human friends is in need

Future generations of people will suffer because of our greed

Shortage of food and malnutrition due to us will be their price to pay

And of us they will not have any nice things to say.

We Live In An Age

We live in an age when some look on those who are friendly as not quite right

That those who say hello to strangers are not very bright

In a World where the narcissists and self centered are not in the few

To feel distant towards strangers is nothing new

To be friendly towards strangers is a form of respect

Though of warm and friendly people some are circumspect

But many look on friendly people in a positive way

They spread a flutter of joy in every friendly good day

Those who do not trust friendly people they pass on the street

Are mistrustful of all friendly people they meet

One can say of them they are not nice of  for to know

As they does seem lacking in the inner glow

The self centered of the World are no longer rare

This is only saying something that many of are aware.

True Love

True love in life should be everyone's due

But not everyone to true love does remain true

People fall in and out of love every day

But so few in love with each other a lifetime stay

Love affairs that start in passion often end in tears

And many loves grow stale with the passing of years

But there is an old wisdom worthy of recall

It is better to love and lose than never know of love at all

Some students of love say it is not a lie

That the love that is the fastest to bloom is often the quickest to die

True loves that last a lifetime are of the few

And this is not saying anything that is new

The full bloom of true love is hard to retain

And so few in love a whole lifetime remain.

What We Dislike In Others

What we dislike in others in ourselves we does see

Though many with this would choose to disagree

The truth on this saying is not for me to say

But each to their own it does seem this way

Many claim that others are our reflective mirrors is not in any way true

But some will tell you that to this some credence is due

Sometimes what your eyes tell you your mind does believe

Looks as is said can be known to deceive

We make our own judgments in life one does suppose

And we make our own friends and create our own foes

There are good and bad people in every Country Worldwide

And many of us does have our secrets to hide

What we dislike in others in our own selves we see

For the answer to this you better ask somebody other than me.

We All Age Rather Quickly

We all age rather quickly beyond our physical prime

And eventually we all does run out of time

You may be wealthy and talented and feted as a success

But life is the greatest gift you does possess

The one who does treat every life as the same

And is not the respecter of wealth and of fame

Will pay you a visit one night or day

On everyone's life death has the final say

Pay your respect to where it is due

And to your higher self try to stay true

Though you have many admirers and know of great success

Life is the greatest gift you does possess.

The good things you do for others says more about you

Than the good things for yourself that you choose to do

Though you have many admirers and know of great success

Life is the greatest gift you does possess.

Duhallow In May

Where the Blackwater through Duhallow is winding it's way

The old fields green and resplendent in their wildflowers of May

And the hawthorns quite beautiful cloaked in their blossoms of white

Of such natural beauty a lover of Nature would write

Duhallow in May is a beautiful time of year

The wild birds are singing and the Summer days near

The swallows home to breed from Lands far away

Above the fields chasing flying insects all day

The migratory nest parasite with the distinctive song

The cuckoo once heard one can never again get wrong

Cuckoo cuckoo is all they does say

The female their eggs in the nests of smaller birds lay

The only part in motherhood that she does play

She returns home to breed to Duhallow in May.

Only True To Say

That extinction is forever only true to say

Wildborn species in the World getting rarer by the day

Australian children of the future sadly may never see

A koala eating leaves or dozing on high branch of a manna gum tree

The thought of it is even a sad thing

That in time we may not be that distant from the first silent Spring

Of birds there are less of them to see and hear

Many species of them becoming rarer by the year

Global Warming caused by carbon emissions and natural habitat destruction due to human greed

For extinction of wildlife does sow the seed

The Earth we live on does need more of the envioronmentally aware

But sadly those who abuse her are not even rare

For humanity it is not a source for pride

That wildlife numbers are on the decline Worldwide

Sadly too few for the one who does feed us does care

Mother Earth we depend on to live a sad thing of to be aware.

Winners Are Grinners

Winners are grinners as some like to say

And far more losers than winners in the World every day

For one to win big many have to lose

And losing is a thing anyone does not choose

Words of wisdom well worthy of recall

Those who climb highest on the ladder to success have the furthest to fall

But death the great equalizer treats none as a friend

And does finally bring every life to an end

Is not a respecter of money and fame

And is the one who does treat every life as the same

People compete with each other for success every day

This is how it is and it will always be this way

But eventually time it does take care of all

Humans and creatures from the great to the small.

Have You

Have you ever been to a party where you felt out of place

Where many there to you had a familiar face

But with any of them you had little in common to share

Of their values to yours different of you became aware

Well groomed and well dressed young males and their pretty young dears

Talking of their beautiful children and their successful careers

For attention with each other they did compete

You were among the sort you often with do not meet

The party you went along to with a friend

And just to enjoy their company you did pretend

The few hours you spent with them did seem far from brief

And you left the party with a sense of relief

In life a new challenge to meet every day

This is how it is and will always be this way.

Down On your Luck

Down on your luck and financially down

One of those doing it tough on your side of the town

Still hope in your mind is far from dead

And you can see better days of you ahead

Down on your luck but with hope you keep faith

Everything does come to those who does wait

On poor take home pay struggling to support your partner and family

Though working hard you know of poverty

A home mortgage and household bills for you to pay

And at work for you never an easy day

For a better paying job you often apply

Though without any luck you do not cease to try

You are not one to say life is unfair

Or surrender your mind to the thought of despair.

Dan In His Mid Nineties

All of those he went to school to the forever gone

But Dan in his mid nineties he is living on

The best athlete in the town seven decades ago

Long before time it did become his foe

But he jogs in the park for an hour every day

Though at a slow pace time on him has it's say

The national mile champion going way back in time

When in his mid twenties in his physical prime

A great grandfather ten years ago to cancer he lost his wife

On what for him was the saddest time of his life

He believes that to a good diet and exercise he owes his longevity

He hopes to be healthy and jogging at a century

The hair on his balding head is silver gray

The town's greatest athlete in time going back many a day

He does enjoy jogging and he does not lie

When he says he will be doing it until the day he does die.

Only Skin Deep

Beauty is only skin deep as a truism remain

The meaning in this it's own self does explain

Many of those beautiful to look at without inner beauty looks can deceive

What your eyes do tell you do not always believe

Many of the most attractive looking people are self centered, conceited and proud

And like nothing better than singing their own praises loud

They believe they are a gift to humanity

Fame is not a known source for humility

Of more people with inner beauty the Human World is in need

For a better World to live in they help sow the seed

Without the rewards of recognition or money for pay

They help people in need of helping every day

That beauty is only skin deep only true to say

And make out of this whatever you may.

He Is One Of Those

He was born into a World where he cannot win

He is one of those known as the does not fit in

On sports he is not one bit interested at all

Most of those he went to school with are fans of or play football

He is not a patron of the local pub

Or a member of any community club

In his early twenties close to his life's prime

Bird watching is his passion on his work free time

The only bird watcher in the town so much about birds by him known

When out bird watching he is always on his own

Sadly for him he does not have anyone with his passion to share

As bird watchers in the World to say the least are rare

Many who know of him look on him as not born to win

Since he is one of those who does not fit in.

The Mother

Though bad things to others she or he may have done

The mother will verbally defend her daughter or son

Though as good living human beings the test they did fail

And for their crimes they are behind bars in jail

The mother does say that they are not guilty of any crime

And for crimes they did not commit they should not be serving prison time

Than the love of a mother for her offspring no love quite as strong

In her eyes her children could never do wrong

With that her children are not good people she would not agree

Only good in them is all she does see

The good mother her offsprings will always defend

And in their times of most need she is their greatest friend

Though as good living people the test they did fail

She will tell you that they should not be in jail.

What We Sow We Will Reap

What we sow we will reap life can work on this way

But this is just an old cliche many does say

People who on Karma does not believe

Say that to be successful you must know how to receive

They dismiss as losers the poor of the town

And say it is their own fault if they are financially down

To them Moses unwritten commandment is of your own self take care

And you never grow wealthy if some of your money with others you share

Those who are kind to others for to give them their due

To their higher selves try to live as true

But sadly in the Human World for one to win big many does have to lose

Though losing is a thing anyone does not choose

But those kind to others good Karma can expect to receive

This is something that should not be hard to believe.

I Am Of The Place

I am of the place of the jackdaw and rook and gray crow

Where the rushes in clusters in the flat fields does grow

In the green countryside where the waterways meet

Just west of the Duhallow Town of Millstreet

From the mountains of my youth i live far away

And i have not seen Duhallow for many a day

Where the birds now are singing in the prime of the Spring

And Nature to view at her finest joy to many does bring

The hawthorns are cloaked in their white blossoms of May

And the swallows in pursuit of their flying insect prey

With the sun on their dark wings chirping as they fly

These migratory flying speedsters of the Spring sky

I am of the place where Blackwater winds it's way

By old country towns towards the sea night and day.

The Selfless

Of Kindness, empathy, generosity and compassion it can be the test

Natural disasters on people with these traits bring out the best

Quite selfless of them in truth one can say

To help those in need of helping they always go out of their way

They are even strangers to local renown

And will never be among the admired of the town

But they never desire that theirs should be a great name

They help others not for money or for fame

But just for the sake of performing a good deed

For their future good Karma they plant the good seed

The people who genuinely does believe

That in life you must give if you wish to receive

Where floods, storms and earthquakes have been

In the frontline of the helpers they are always seen.

Like The Great Christy Ring

 Just leave it to others your praises to sing

As did the great hurler the famed Christy Ring

On the field of play he always done his thing

And great honour to himself and to hurling, Glen Rovers and Cork he did bring

But the master hurler on the field of play

Of his greatness in public never had anything to say

That actions speak louder than words as a truism remain

The meaning in this it's own self does explain

Self praise in life never gets one too far

You should leave it to others to say of how great you are

We are in the age of self promotion in the twenty first century

And they are a rare breed now those with humility

Not many nowadays like the late and great hurler Christy Ring

In his humility great honour to himself and the game he loved he did bring.

On Badgers

Badgers are creatures of the mustelidae family 

They are creatures by day one seldom does see

As they are mostly nocturnal of an omnivorous diet

And are sturdy and quiite strong with a keen appetite

Mostly dark gray with white on their face

Quite distinctive from all other species of the mustelid race

They eat roots and dig for earthworms and on rabbits, hedgehogs and frogs do prey

And they break into fowl sheds and kill fowl though not often one can say

They line their sett with new bedding in the grey of twiliight

Before going out in search of food for the night

Due to persecution by humans badgers are becoming rare

Something of which Nature lovers are aware

To the weasel family they do belong

For their size they are sturdy and deceptively strong.

Autocratic Leaders

Of an autocratic leader any Country is not in need

And far too many of their sort in the World indeed

They give rise to unhappiness and division create

And against those who oppose them in any way discriminate

They do not believe on human rights and abuse their rule

Every autocratic leader by nature is cruel

Because of them many good pro human rights people are behind bars in jail

Autocratic leaders as human beings do fail

Narcissists with great power and quite obsessed 

Those who do not support them by their police and army oppressed

Far too many autocratic leaders in the World of today

A good leader to them is different in every way

By far too many of their sort Worldwide

They cannot unite those who only know how to divide.

On The Passing Of Jack Corkery

In Liscahane Millstreet with Maureen his wife

Jack Corkery he lived for most of his life

Survived by his wife and son and two grandsons one grieved by those he did befriend

Sad to learn his life's journey for him has come to an end

One who lived his life in an honourable way

Quiet and unassuming of him one can say

A gentleman one who never sought the limelight

In the Araglen Nursing Home in Boherbue he lived his last day and night

In his long life his friends in numbers did grow

And it can be said of him he had the inner glow

The great gift of life from him may have gone

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

From Liscahane his old home not that far away

In St Mary's Cemetery in Millstreet his last remains lay.

The Fear Of The Unknown

The fear of the unknown it is obviously clear

The reason that so many people death fear

That eternal life for the soul may be a lie

Even good living religious people feel no wish to die

Though they are devoted to the god of their faith

They feel for their soul that heaven can wait

Since death they does fear of life post bodily death for the soul they must not be sure

If not with the thought of death they would not feel insecure

The fear of death is a fear that is among people Worldwide

And many who do not fear it end their lives in suicide

Of the praises of death you will not hear many sing

But as part of life it is a natural thing

It is the fear of the unknown most people fear

At the thought of dying is obviously clear.

Wild Rats And Mice

You will not hear anyone say things of them that is nice

Wherever there is food there are rats and mice

Despite trapping and baiting they still does survive

And  doubtless this is due to their sexual drive

They regularly give birth to many young and are quick to multiply

That they are Nature's survivors of them none can deny

A fan of wild rats and mice would be a hard one to find

Some of the diseases they carry spread to human kind

To rid the World of them humans their best does try

But Worldwide in numbers they multiply

To producers of food they come at a huge financial cost

Due to them every year tons of food are lost

I have yet to hear anyone of them say they are nice

They do not have any friends wild rats and mice.

Another Election

 Another election to us is near

But in politics few things does change from year to year

Since jobs and more jobs the major parties only talk about

Of what is most important to the majority of voters they leave none in doubt

But Global Warming that hurries on Climate Change 

From the major parties scarce gets a mention which seems a bit strange

Since Global Warming is the creation of human industry Worldwide

By our abuse of the Earth that does feed us which to us is not a sense of pride

And more Earth abusive jobs are being created every day

Which seems a bit sad for to have to say

Our legacy to the children of the future hardships to them will bring

And of us and our politicians praises they will not sing

From the soaring weather temperatures that leaves the Earth to grow crops far too dry

Famine and early death for future generations for this seems hard to deny.

We Make Gods Of

They make gods of sports people and entertainers and the super wealthy minority Worldwide

And gloryfying them to us a sense of pride

As if in their achievements for us there is some gain

Why people find pleasure in praising the achievements of strangers to them seems hard to explain

Does not mean you are a good person though you are famed Worldwide

Though you are the best at what you are good at of you cannot be denied

But your ego keeps swelling when others your praises does sing

And an over pumped ego for anyone is not a good thing 

We glorify people of so called royal blood into privilege born

And those who dare criticize them are treated with scorn

In some Countries to criticize the monarchy is a serious crime

And people who do so does serve prison time

Thanks be to the powers that be for death is all one can say

The deceased pauper is equal to the deceased billionaire today

Those who glorify some people help to create inequality

Though many with this i feel sure would not agree.

Even A Stranger To Many

Even a stranger to many on his side of the town

Yet in his words he never puts anyone down

Others he never feels out to impress

And with anyone never competes for fame or material success

His own praises he has never been heard to sing

He lives a quiet life and does his own thing

Devoted to his young daughter and her mother his wife

The down to earth fellow lives a moral life

Not a member of any community or sporting club

And not a customer of the local pub

He enjoys a few beers at home at the weekend

His aged neighbour on a pension living on her own says he is her best friend

He often does help me of him she does say

Just for the love of doing it and never for pay.

From Here Far Away

 In the high leafy groves from here far away

The wildborn birds of song they are singing today

And the wood pigeons cooing on the spruce and cypress trees

On a pleasant Spring day of around twenty degrees 

The fields lush and green have their Nature's flowers on display

And the hawthorns are cloaked on their white blossoms of May

On what is a beautiful time of the year

Towards the end of the Spring with June and Summer near

In May Nature at her very finest is seen

After recent spring showers the countryside looking green

On nutritious young grass gaining weight by the day

The contented cattle chewing their cuds does lay

And gathering nectar from the blossoming trees

The warm air full of the buzzing of bees.

One Of The Unsung

A book on his life millions of  copies would not sell

Yet he was a brave man and quite humble as well

When true courage was needed he had it to display

From the face of great danger he did not turn away

He risked his own life to pluck Mrs and Mr Roe's young son Jim

From the bed in his room with flames all around him

From the burning house he brought the boy out

Of what courage is he left none in doubt

All thanks to the man who did save his life

Today Jim Roe is a happily married man with a young daughter and a beautiful wife

In love and contented and of any cares free

And as happy as anyone could wish to be

But that luck was not with the man who saved his life happens to be so

He died in a car accident many years ago

In his mid twenties death did claim him young

As he lived he died as one of the town's unsung

When courage was needed in it he did not lack

Yet the offer of a medal for bravery he did knock back

Today Mrs and Mr Roe pay their respects to the brave and humble one

Who many years ago saved the life of their son.

Do Not Leave It To Others

Do not leave it to others to make a better World to live in

For this with your own self you have to begin

On how materially successful you are as a person says less about you

Than the good things for others that you choose to do

Of any more materially competitive people humanity is not in need

Since of a better World for all to live in their sort seldom sows the seed

The unwritten commandment many seems to obey

Care for your own self only the self centered say

Though they may never receive the credit they are due

To their higher selves they remain ever true

You can help to make a better World to live in if with others you share

But sadly no shortage of those who for self only care.

The First Australians

Their ancestors lived in Australia sixty thousand years ago

And maybe even longer as some would argue so

Not given the respect that they are worthy of which seems hard to undestand

But they will always be the first people of this great Southern Land 

To be born a First Australian is not to be one of the best

As many of them live in poverty the lot of the dispossessed

Of all indigenous races Worldwide and it seems sad to say

That most of them are among the poorest of the Australia of today

But despite dispossession and massacres some of them did survive

And descendants of the First Auistralians in the flesh today alive

The honour of the first Australians with them does remain

For as long as there are people in Australia this title they will retain

Many of them among Australia's poorest only true to say

And with all indigenous people Worldwide sadly it too is this way.

Those Born Into Privilege

Of government assistance they will never be in need

Those born into privilege are lucky indeed

Financially they have nothing to worry about 

And of their worth as people have no need for doubt

By billions of impressionable people Worldwide admired

Who of singing their praises never seem to grow tired

In a World where a person of great wealth and fame

By many seem to be well worthy of a great name

But amongst them you will not find one free of taint

Like Mother Theresa who was famous though poor and whilst living a saint

For death there will never be a loud hooray

But to the powers that be thanks to it one can say

For it is the one who makes equal of all

The wealthy and famous and the poor and all creatures great and small.

A Joy To Him To Hear

In the park playground children laugh as they play

The sound of their joy takes him far away

To his own childhood in the far away town

Many Seasons ago when his hair was light brown

Going back the years some seventy plus or so

Time that ages everyone has since become his foe

Of the friends of his childhood few living today

Memories of what was only with him does stay

The hair on his balding head is silver gray

Nobody grows younger only true to say

But the laughter of children reignites in him the joy

Of the games that he played with his young friends as a boy

The laughter of children always a joy to him to hear

In time it does take him back many a year.

Leave It To Nature

 Leave it to Nature to claim from you life's breath

And leave it to patriots to celebrate war and to glorify death

But live for as long as you possibly can

Live and die hopefully without any pain as an old woman or man

The praises of dead heroes are often sung

But it is only a fallacy that only the good die young

Like every old person is not a sage

Goodness too to it does not have an age

That life is your greatest gift as a truism remain

Of the meaning in this does one need to explain

A heroic death is based on a lie

You can love your Country and for it not die

Of life for the soul after bodily death not for me to say

I only feel grateful to be living today.

On An Old School Class Photo

An old school class photograph of years long gone

But only the memories are living on

Of your friends back then you've not seen for many a day

Where the deceased are some of them does lay

And some in the old hometown did not stay

Their life's journey took them to Lands far awaay

From where as children into young adults they did grow

And where today few of them would know

Only the memories today do remain

Of the old town you may not see again

And the girls and boys you grew up with then

Like you no longer young women or men

An old school class photo takes you to the past

On looking back the years time seems to have gone fast.

Not Saying Anything That Is New

Worldwide there are good and decent people in every village and city and town

Of all races and shades of black, white and brown

But they have become rare the free of taint

And the rarest of all is the living saint

There is good in most people and one comes to believe

That those who like to give can expect to receive

If you look for the good in everybody some good you will find

Though some more so than others more geneous and kind

It is only the poorest people of the town

Unlucky in life and financially down

Who cannot afford a second hand car

Do really know who their friends are

Though many good people in the World of bad too quite a few

And this is not saying anything that is new.

On Australian Magpies

To the warbling of the magpies in the dawning gray

Many Australians do wake for to greet the new day

Australia's best known songbirds that sing every day of the year

Their warbling every Australian does regularly hear

In city and town parks and gardens and in the countryside

The crow sized black and white magpies are familiar to people Australia wide

On their breeding Season they regularly sing at night

On a moonlit evening their songs a source for delight

Territorial and fierce in defence of their territory

Magpies are birds one often hear and see

Unmistakeable in their appearance and their warbling song

Once seen and once heard one never again get them wrong

Of the birds of Australia among the best known

Magpies are quite territorial with ways of their own.

To The Earth That Supports Us

To the Earth that supports us our existence we owe

Yet that most of us does not even respect her happens to be so

On her we all do depend on to live

Yet we take and take from her and in return to her nothing give

She is the main victim of our homo sapien greed

And of more human friends she is badly of in need

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

But sad to think that her human friends are so rare

For our abuse of the one who feeds us future generations of people will pay

And of us they will not have any nice things to say

Those who brag of land ownership have got it all wrong

For how can we own to what we to does belong

When time on our lives will have the final say

On some form or other we will return to her one day.

So Friendly And Pleasant

So friendly and pleasant in her own charming way

She greets everyone with a smile and good day

Wherever she is at joy is to be found

For she brings it with her and shares it around

Young and unconceited and free of guile

On her beautiful face always a beautiful smile

Not in any way surly or rude

One who to life has a great attitude

If she has any problems them she does not show

The seeds of happiness she helps to sow

At the sharing of joy she does succeed

And of more of her sort the Human World is in need

People like she is nice of for to know

As she has in her the bright inner glow.

There Are Millions Of Rhymers

There are millions of rhymers in the Human World of today

Writing rhymes with them just a hobby in truth one can say

Something they do for enjoyment not for money for pay

With rhyming words the people who just love to play

There are rhymers Worldwide in every village and city and town

But few of them even know of local renown

In writing rhymes for a few only any money or fame

For most rhymers rhyming is a hungry belly game

Twenty first century literary critics dismiss every rhymer as a non poet

And do not consider them to be worthy of any literary note

There are more rhymers in the World than there has ever been today

They only write rhymes for enjoyment in truth one can say

That rhymers used to be popular happens to be so

But going back in time this now seems long ago.

The Cattle Egrets Are Back

In the coastal Moyne Shire in late Autumn in May

With June and Winter just three weeks away

The white migratory cattle egrets have returned for their Winter stay

With the cattle herd they spend their every day

Eating ground insects, grass hoppers and frogs that to their taste buds taste sweet

That hop or crawl out of danger's way of big trampling feet

Only to end their lives in an egret's craw

To eat and be eaten is in Nature's law

When the cattle egrets arrive in the coastal Moyne Shire you know Winter is near

In the coolness of late Autumn weatherwise not an unpleasant time of year

They leave the coastal lands for to breed in the Spring

The workings of Nature is an amazing thing

The coastal lands looking green after the recent rain

And the cattle egrets are back in the Moyne Shire again.

People Age Rather Quickly

People age rather quickly beyond their physical prime

And eventually we all does run out of time

And the babes born yesterday are ageing today

And younger anybody never does stay

On average the young does outlive the old

We do age rather quickly as has been told

And even those who believe on a life for the soul post bodily death

Will fight on for life up to their final breath

If they were so sure of heaven death they would not fear

This is only  saying what is obviously clear

As long as you are in good health and feeling mentally okay

Though aged feel happy for to greet every day

For death you never do hear a hooray

Only earthworms live where the deceased does lay.

In Beautiful May

In the still of the evening in the prime of the May

Just after suindown in the twilight gray

A water dwelling songbird of the Spring

The dark brown white breasred dipper in the river does sing

The birds with the high pitched metallic song

Once seen and once heard one never again does get wrong

May in the Northlands is a green time of year

Towards the end of the Spring with June and Summer near

The swallows back home to breed from Lands far away

Above the old fields chase flying insects all day

Familiar birds one does often hear and see

Red breast robins are singing to proclaim territory

And the voice of the cuckoo one often does hear

In beautiful May in the Spring of the year.

What We do To The Earth

Less trees and less places for wildlife and less birds to sing

In time we may not be that distant from the first silent Spring

Mother Earth and Mother Nature of more human friends are in need

That extinction is forever is a truism indeed

What we do to the Earth that feeds us to our own selves we do

This is how i does see it whatever about you

This World is for us to live in and with other creatures to share

Humanity is badly in need of more of the environmentally aware

Destruction of habitat for wildlife for financial gain has it's source in human greed

By our abuse of the Earth that does feed us for hardship for humanity we are planting the seed

Our disrespect for the one who does feed us is to all of our shame

Future generations of people will have us to blame

For what to them will be our environmental legacy

Shortage of food that will give rise to famines and widespread poverty.

Far More Losers Than Winners

There are far more losers than winners in the World every day

That for some to win big many must lose humanity works in this way

Suppose we all cannot be winners in truth one can say

And to be one of the losers the price big to pay

The poor are always the unsung of every town

And they live their lives as even strangers to local renown

The wealthy and famous the power brokers Worldwide

It does seem the poor have the lesser god on their side

The one who wins big always becomes a great name

And power does belong to those of wealth and fame

But it is not the size of your home, swimming pool or car

That tells of the person that you really are

Yet there are far more losers than winners as a fact does remain

The meaning in this it's own self does explain.                                                        

The Power To Do Good

The power to do good only comes from within

And for a better World to live in with yourself you begin

How you choose to live it is all up to you

The wrongs you do to others to your own self you do

For a better World to live in you can plant the seed

By helping anybody of your help in need

The kindest and most caring people of any town

Do even seem strangers to local renown

Good people for their kindness and generosity are not hard to admire

Yet the admiration of others they never desire

Though their names never appear on a memorial wall

Their contribution to the betterment of humanity is never small

Those who willingly give in other ways receive

This is something that should not be hard to believe.

Nature Is One

Nature is one who has ways of her own

And so much about her remains as unknown

And every day of her we learn something new

Her lessons one can say are not of the few

Of Nature we learn something new every day

She is quite amazing of her one can say

Yet the more we learn of her the more we come to realize

That of her we know little this is not a surprise

The one of the unrivalled magical power

From a tiny seed she helps Mother Earth grow a beautiful flower

Such joy in her natural beauty to so many she does bring

And those who does love her of her praises does sing

Yet it is a sad thing of to be aware

That many of her creatures are becoming rare.

I Am Of

I am of the fields of the rook and gray crow

Where the rushes in clusters near the waterways grow

Where Finnow the white river silent deep and slow

Winds it's way to Drishane where the Blackwater flow

My journey in life has brought me far south

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

Where i would be a stranger now since there i did not stay

And i have not been there for many a day

Those i went to school with long past their lives prime

Like me they too would be showing the wear of time

Perhaps their grandchildren play games in the schoolyard as we did long ago

Years before time it did become our foe

I am of the place near a far away town

Where the roadways by the mountains do wind up and down

And only the memories with me now remain

Of faces and places i may not see again.

If You Do Not

If you do not pay to people the respect they are due

To your higher self  you are not being true

They are never among the admired of the town

Those who in their words enjoy putting others down

Live and let live as a truism remain

The meaning in this it's own self does explain

The people you bad mouth no lesser than you

What you do to them to your own self you do

Wisdom to it does not have an age

A young person can have the mind of a sage

Not every old person is knowledgeable and wise

This is something that many of come to realize

The lessons of life are not of the few

And every day we live we learn something new.

Jeremiah Joseph Callanan

Today his poems live as worthy of literary note

Jeremiah Joseph Callanan was a great Irish poet

In Lisbon in Portugal on his life's thirty third year of poetry he wrote his last line

On the nineteenth of September eighteen twenty nine

Very ill homesick and alone in Sao Jose Hospital in Lisbon he died

Far from his home in Cork in the green countryside

Though nowadays no trace of his grave in Lisbon remain

With the passing of time his wonderful poems for him new fans does gain

The Recluse Of  Inchydoney, The Outlaw Of  Loch Lene and the Convict Of Clonmel

By lovers of poetry are poems that are known well

By Jeremiah Joseph Callanan the poet who died in his poetic prime

His poems living on through the centuries of time

Due to his poor health he went to Portugal for health mending sunshine

But he died a young man there in eighteen twenty nine

Reading his poems bring enjoyment to many today

He was a true poet of him one can say.

In Life Those Who Give

In life those who give can expect to receive

Though not everybody on this does believe

The materially minded by the belief does live

That the successful take far more than in return they does give

In a Human World where for one to win big many have to lose

Winning is the thing that everybody does choose

That one person's loss becomes another's gain

In the Human World as a truism remain

There are the very wealthy and financially down

Worldwide in every village and city and town

But the Reaper of Lives does treat as the same

The poor of the World and those of wealth and fame

But there is truth in the saying one has to believe

That in life those who give can expect to receive

In Beautiful May

When Nature her beauty to the countryside bring

In beautiful May of the northern Spring

The wild birds nest building and singing on leafy trees

And the weather quite pleasant of around twenty degrees

The fields lush and green resplendent in their Nature's flowers

That have come to bloom in the recent Spring showers

With June and the warmer Summer weather quite near

May is a beautiful time of the year

The hawthorns resplendent cloaked in their blossoms of pale white to gray

And the swallows back home to breed from Lands far away

With the sun on their dark wings in the blue and gray sky

On pursuit of flying insects chirp as they fly

May in the northlands in the prime of the Spring

Natural green beauty to the countryside bring.

If Is A Word

If is a word as some like to say

That always does seem for to get in the way

Of facing the truth that some put to good use

By many a bad loser used as an excuse

You say if only for this i would not have lost

A bit of ill luck came to me at a cost

And on hindsight did cost me a win

It was one of those days that my luck was not in

If is a word he uses often of late

Only for if he would celebrate

The greatest win that ever he would have had

If luck was not against him today he would feel glad

He was the best though things did not go his way

If luck was not against me i would have won he did say.

Your Greatest Gift

On pursuit of this thing known as personal success

We devote so much of our time on others trying to impress

And fear of failure in us gives rise to worry and stress

Yet life is the greatest gift that anyone does possess

The wealthiest ever person in the town is not living today

It is dark and quiet where his last remains lay

His family from his money and financial assets doing quite okay

That success is only for the living does seem true to say

You may be among the poor of the town

Feeling depressed and financially down

On a low financial income struggling to cope

But as is said of life where it is there is hope

The praises of money many may sing

But your gift of life is your most imporant thing

You will not find hope in the graves of the dead

The deceased cannot dream of better times ahead.

The Thief Of Joy

Something i learned from a wise woman as a young boy

That comparisons are always the thief of joy

Back then i was far too young for to realize

That what she said to me was so very wise

Where the deceased are she forever does lay

But the wisdom in her words are with me today

Of the praises of winners some only does sing

But for those who go unrecognized this is not a good thing

In the game of comparisons they does lose out

Which leaves them with low self esteem and self doubt

Comparing people an in thing in the twenty first century

Though this is not saying anything positive on humanity

Comparisons are always the thief of joy

Something i learned from a wise woman as a young boy.

Far Superior To Me

The person that in everyone only good does see

In her or his words is a far superior person to me

They rise above the ordinary of them one can say

And for their honourable attitude to life respect to them seems apt to pay

They never put anyone verbally down

Yet they are not among the admired of the town

In their attitude to others in them nothing small

As they does believe on a fair go for all

To become wealthy and famous at the expense of others they feel no desire

For their honourable ways them one can only admire

Since they do have in them the bright inner glow

People like they are nice of for to know

A flaw in anyone they do not seem to see

I wish that i could say the same about me.

The Greatest Gift

Far greater than any other form of success

Life is the greatest gift any human does possess

The same for the billionaire the queen and the king

When they lose their gift of life they have lost everything

The human existence in time not a long span

On average a few years more for a woman than it is for a man

Does not matter if you do not have and end of life plan

Just live for as long as you possibly can

Live since any of your achievements compared to life to little amount

Without life you would not exist on this you can count

The good and the bad times in life we survive

But it is a great feeling just to be alive

As the wise mother said to her young son

Tomorrow will dawn but not for everyone.

Those With A Dream

Though dreams are just that and for so few come true

We all do need one in life to pursue

Those without a dream are lacking in hope

And with day to day living are struggling to cope

Those without a dream see no success of them ahead

And hopes for times better in them all but dead

They have created for themselves a cocoon of doubt

And feel they have nothing to feel happy about

But those with a dream though times on them are tough

Does feel that life's journey ahead of them will not always be rough

That hope springs eternal as a truism remain

The meaning in this it's own self  does explain

Those with a dream though financially down

Are not among the unhappiest people of the town.

Curlews

From their wintering grounds sea beaches far away

They fly to breed to inland boglands in May

Once seen and once heard birds one never again get wrong

The curlews have a lovely flute like song

On calm evenings their song which sounds like curloo in distance travels far and wide

On their breeding ground in the quiet countryside

To where they breed their music with them they bring

The curlews song to hear is such a beautiful thing

In a simple nest well hidden on the ground

Among high rushes quite hard to be found

Three to four blue brown blotched eggs the female lay

In their breeding habits quite elusive one might say

Due to Climate Change and land drainage curlews no longer in large numbers abound

With their long slightly curved bills they probe for worms and slugs in the soft ground

Quite distinctive in their feathers of mottled brown

Curlews are never seen in a parkland in any town

To the boglands in the countryside in Spring

Such joy with them in their flute like songs they bring

But due to land drainage and Climate Change they are becoming rare

A sad thing indeed of for to be aware.

In May Far away

The wild birds are singing to greet the new day

In the leafy groves in May far away

And the fields lush and green resplendent in their flowers

That have come to bloom in the recent Spring showers

With the sun on their dark wings chirping as they fly

The swallows are chasing flying insects in the sky

With the approach of Winter in the mid to late Fall

The instincts in them to migrate will answer Nature's call

Nature she is at her finest in May

The hawthorns look resplendent cloaked in their blossoms of white to gray

And cattle out of wintering sheds of months of eating silage and hay

On nutritious young grass gaining weight by the day

And the countryside wearing her Nature's green

At her very finest is to be seen.

Of More Of Your Sort

Big praises and honours for yourself you may never win

But you can make the World better for others to live in 

By performing a good deed or more every day

And from one in need of help never turn away

It is not the good things you do for yourself says of the good in you

But the good things for others that you choose to do

They are such good people those who believe

In to live a good life one must give to receive

Though others your praises never does sing

In your acts of kindness joy to others you bring

Though not one of the admired of your side of the town

You never ignore the financially down

And since for a better World to live in you help plant the seed

Of more of your sort humanity is in need.

This Is How I Do See It

This is how i do see it whatever about you

Humans follow leaders but sheep also do

Those without a leader are looked on as odd

As born to life of the lesser god

We may dismiss sheep as not intelligent or wise

But we are nearer to them in ways than we do realize

Though you never see a sheep driving a car

We are not more superior to them than we think we are

The judas sheep her fellow sheep does betray

By leading them to their deaths up the slaughter house ramp every day

By her leadership qualities the judas sheep innocent of any crime

Saves the slaughter house workers in sweat and time

But are we much superior to sheep in every way

Since some of the leaders we choose us too does betray.

It Is Always Hard To Be Happy

It is always hard to be happy when your life goals you pursue

But that you can only be responsible for your own happiness happens to be true

Those who expect others to make them happy in their thinking do not have it right

Since such a terrminal happiness can die in a night

The person who has found new love may feel reason to smile

But for most people such a happiness only lasts for a short while

And the pain of lost love does linger for years

And can only be healed in the shedding of tears

Those who believe that the accumulation of large amounts of  money will make them happy have got it all wrong

Since to the similar source of stress and worry money belong

If money could make you happy there would not be one unhappy billionaire

But such is the case is such people are rare

They have become very endangered of extinction the free of care

And this is only saying something of most are aware.

On John Clare's 'I AM'

The poem of mental illness "I Am' was wwritten in Northampton Asylum by Helpston's John Clare

Poets of his calibre then as now are quite rare

A true meaning of a mental ilness existence through poetic eyes

How great his  poem was to become back then he would not realize

From the pen of a literary genius a cry of despair

Even on good and gifted people life is not always fair

In Northampton Asylum he breathed his last

But his poem "I Am'  lives today as a cry from the past

Of a poet who was struggling with his inner strife

Of his mind's torment and the meaning of life

Of a mentally ill person living in poverty

His great poem 'I Am' tells of the reality

That mentally ill people face in life every day

People like John Clare for fame such a price have to pay.

On The Passing Of Dotie Corkery

Born to life as Nora Corkery in Derreen west of Millstreet Town

Where on old Clarabeg as ever looks down

To live as a good person her claim to fame

Dotie for her was her given nickname

Dotie was not born into the World to be anyone's wife

To the god she believed in she devoted her life

As a nun of the Sisters Of Charity she breathed her last

Though in Millstreet good memories of her remain from the past

Though this is going back many Seasons in time

Dotie was a beautiful young woman in her life's prime

So holy and humble untainted by conceit or guile

On her beautiful face she always had a beautiful smile

A comment on Dotie by Muriel Ryan on the Millstreet Web Site only too true

When in her written words she paid to her school friend the credit she was due

The highest respect in words of the to be Sister Nora she did pay

When she wrote that Dotie of anyone never had a bad word to say.

In Drishane Cemetery in Millstreet not far from where she first saw light of day

The last remains of the beautiful Dotie Corkery lay

Through her life as a spiritual person she did grow

As one of those rare people who had the inner glow.

No Longer His Wife

After twenty two years of marriage she is no longer his wife

With her present husband she hopes to grow old in life

Their son and daughter now young adults with lives of their own

And apart from each other in their ways they had grown

After work he spent a few hours with his mates in the pub

And she found new love in her local book club

They separated amicably she lives with her new husband today

It is each to their own as the wise one does say

That he is happily single the fact he does not hide

With the rare one night stand he is quite satisfied

He enjoys his time with his mates in the pub talking of football

Some men they are not that hard to please at all

His former wife loved him for awhile but of him due to his life interests grew tired

And now she is with the sort of man she desired.

On Willie Wagtails

Willie Wagtails are birds one does see every day

Black and white they are quite distinctive of them one can say

The male has white on his eyebrows which differentiate

Him from the female his similar looking mate

In a neat cup shaped nest of lichen felted with spider webs on low fork of tree

Thee female lay pale brown dotted eggs of mostly three

In Spring the male often sings during the night

And male and female hunt for insects on the ground in daylight

Willie wagtails are quite aggressive for their size

One can say of them they never cease to surprise

Aggression from them not an uncommon sight

From their territory they put bigger birds to flight

Quite fearless in defense of their territory

Small black and white birds one does often see

In city and town parks and in the countryside

Their range is huge they live Australia wide.

People Age Rather Quickly

People age rather quickly beyond their lives prime

And eventually everybody does run out of time

But it can be said it is a slip of the tongue

To say the old are always outlived by the young

The words of a wise woman remain with me

When she said on how long anyone does live there is no guarantee

The grandfather in his eighties is living today

And his grand daughter in her thirties where the deceased are does lay

For as long as you can do try to live on

No second chance of life when the last breath from your body has gone

Humans are born as mere mortals when all is said and done

And tomorrow will dawn but not for everyone

That the young outlive the old is based on a lie

And the longer you live the sooner you will die.

The Old Poet

So many memorable poems and songs he did write

For others to sing and enjoy and recite

But he will never more be at the pub's hour of song

To join in the chorus of the sing along

At community gatherings his was a known face

And nobody capable of taking his place

He is now at rest with the town's forever gone

But in his poems and songs memories of him live on

The best of the poets of all of the town

His fame did transcend the local renown

When his body did finally surrender to time

He was in his eighties well past his physical prime

The last breath of life from the Old Poet has gone

But his legacy of beautiful words do live on.

Where A Hero Was Needed

Many said as a football player he was not good enough

That he did not play hard when the going did get tough

But he was the hero of the Grand Final Day

And for him the club fans shouted a loud hooray

He kicked the goal for the club that won the Premiership Flag

And gave the club members and the fans a good reason to brag

He was the player who did count when it mattered most

And that evening in the town pubs to him they drank a toast

But all of that for him was a long time ago

Going back the years some three decades or so

When it mattered most his part he did play

But due to a motor car accident he is in a wheelchair today

On Grand Final Day he was best on ground

Where a hero was needed he was to be found.

In The Story Of Boris Becker

From a wealthy and famous sportsman to one who did fail

Six times Grand Slam tennis winner Boris Becker sentenced to serve time in jail

Sentenced for fraud after declaring bankruptcy a few years ago

From wealth and fame to poverty and disgrace for him happens to be so

Sentencing Judge Deborah Taylor at Southwaark Crown Court said the German sporting great lacked in humility

We dislike in others what we dislike in our selves in her too may be

That it is only a World for winners the truth one must face

Boris Becker one who had many admirers is now in disgrace

Though this is going back many Seasons in time

For a while he was the World's number one tennis player in his physical prime

His friends and fans of the past do not admire him today

That life is for winners only true to say

In the story of Boris Becker a lesson for all

Those who climb the highest have the furthest to fall.

Only Of The Few

So much about the war in the media every day

Being waged on Ukraine by Russia from here far away

A war that has given rise to millions of refugees and where many have been injured or have died

And where towns and villages and cities by bombings have been destroyed

Women and children raped and physically abused

And murdered in war crimes that cannot be excused

That war can bring out the worst in human beings cannot be denied

The mass graves of  Ukraine have their secrets to hide

The sad news from Ukraine that comes to us every day

Is of the bad side of humanity that is there on display

War of humanity brings out the darker side

In conflicts through decades of time in Countries Worldwide

What is happening in Ukraine in war nothing new

The wars without crimes only of the few.

Above The Brown Bogland

Above the brown bogland in the prime of the Spring

The male mottled brown skylark whilst ascending does sing

A musical speck in the gray of the sky

He never stops singing as upwards he does fly

His partner on the ground sits in her grass nest

With four bluish dark spotted eggs warming to life beneath her breast

In a few weeks she will have young for to raise

Nature she never does cease to amaze

A famous and widely known airborne bird of song

Once heard that one never again can get wrong

For their beautiful singing greatly admired

Lovers of Nature to write of them often inspired

A male skylark is singing in the dawning gray

Above the brown bogland on a morning in May.

Time Has become His Master

Time  has become his master he is eighty three

He is not the man that he used to be

The town's greatest athlete in his physical prime

Though this is going back many decades in time

When he was the town's greatest athlete

Handsome, slim and tall and quick on his feet

A former Olympian and three times National eight hundred metres champion and one of the World's best

And seldom found to be wanting then when put to the test

Eight times a great granddad divorced from his wife

Who feels happy to have a new man in her life

Had he given up running with him she would have stayed

But even to save his marriage too much of a sacrifice for him to have made

Rain, hail or shine he jogs every day

Though nowadays his fastest pace slow in truth one can say.

In Millstreet Today

From the fields of my youth i am ageing far away

And to many in Millstreet i would be a stranger today

I last saw Duhallow thirty six years ago

And since time that ages has become my foe

I may never again walk to where the waterways meet

In the rushy old fields near the Town of Millstreet

And many i knew there not in Millstreet today

Some of them deceased and others from there live far away

Yet the memories of what was in me does remain

Of old Clara half cloaked in the gray fogs of rain

And the breeding frogs croaking in the watery drain

The past in my memories i visit again

In distance today from there i am ageing far away

And to many i would be a stranger in Millstreet today.

Lord Byron

His name today lives as one worthy of literary note

There is no doubt Lord Byron was a major poet

He died as a young man in his poetic prime

But his biting satire has lived on in time

Byron supported the Greeks in a war with the Turks and at Missolonghi he became very ill and died

As well as being wealthy, adventurous and idealistic courage of him cannot be denied

His brief love affair with Lady Caroline Lamb ended for her in tears

Her supposed description of him has outlived her by almost two century of years

She said he was mad and bad and dangerous to know

Around the coining of this phrase a legend did grow

Of him and his adventurous life many stories written about

That Byron was one of England's greatest poets there can be little doubt

Since Byron died many Seasons have come and have gone

But his poems remain popular and his legend lives on.

Of More Human Friends

Future generations of people may not be privileged to see

In their wild state creatures that are quite familiar to me

As extinction for many species of wildlife in time is not far away

And this seems a sad thing for to have to say

Australian children of the future may never see

A koala sleeping or eating leaves on a manna gum tree

The future not good for the wildborn and free

A sad thing to contemplate would you not agree?

Less wildlife to see and less birds for to sing

In time we may not be that distant from the first Silent Spring

Due to human destruction of their habitat and Climate Change

Many species of wildlife becoming rare in their common range

Nature and Mother Earth who all of us does feed

Of more human friends are of badly in need.

Nowhere To Hide

Time it will not always be on your side 

From old age and death there is nowhere to hide

That we are born to mortality is not a lie

And the longer you live the sooner you will die

The one who does not respect money and fame  

The Reaper of lives treat all lives as the same

Sooner or later on some night or day

The one known as death you a visit will pay

To the monarch like the pauper life's journey must end

Life's Reaper to anyone is not a friend

Many who thought they were irreplaceable among the forever gone

And life in the World without them goes on

The babies born yesterday ageing today

And death on their lives will have the final say

The Gray Roos At Tower Hill

The gray roos at Tower Hill seldom seen out by day

Resting among the high scrub from view most of them hidden away

Though a minority of them venture out from cover to graze in the daylight

They are mostly nocturnal creatures of the night

Up to a few centuries ago hunted for food by Tower Hill's first people the Peek Wurrong

In Tower Hill they had their Corroborees of dance and song

Dispossessed from their lands and it seems sad to say

No Peek Wurrong person in Tower Hill today

In the flesh in Illowa never to hunt again

But the descendants of the kangaroos they hunted in Tower Hill remain

Today in Tower Hill there are gray kangaroo 

But never a drone of a didgeridoo

And the Peek Wurrong only live in name

To be Tower Hill's first people their great claim to fame