Francis Duggan Poems

He once was a man who owned greyhounds going back a few decades ago
But for them he was all the poorer the dogs that he owned were too slow
And now he has shares in a racehorse but for that he's not a wealthier man
The race horse though well bred is quite ordinary as they say one more also ran
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The rose she has gone back to Nature
Her petals on the grass by her mother tree lay
But memories of her blooming in the sunshine
With me till my own end will stay.
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Of North Korea and nuclear weapons of late so much we hear
But of super powers with weapons of mass destruction should we show less of fear
Than poor little North Korea and who are we to trust
Should those with nuclear weapons tell us what is right and just?
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When i hear you brag about your great successes i need that like a bullet in the head
For i am one who struggles for survival and in my moments of despair i do envy the dead
Good luck to you i say and may you prosper but when you tell us of your brand new motor car
And of your marvellous career promotion you are telling us of how marvellous you are.
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Tonight's a great night it is raining the first heavy rains of the Fall
The first heavy rains since last Winter the farmers rejoice one and all
The drought it may well not be over but 'tis good to hear the patter of the rain
Falling on the galvanize iron and gurgling down the shoot to the drain,
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To the critics of poetry we are not good enough
They dismiss us as those who pen terrible stuff
'Tis beneath their dignity our stuff to criticize
We will not be short listed for any literary prize.
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Born in 1845 at Castletown Geoghegan Co Westmeath in 1870 after serving time in Mountjoy jail he died
Yet the mantle of greatness of him cannot be denied
Severe beatings from his British jailers the reason he died so young
But his most famous song 'The Rising Of The Moon' will forever be sung.
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To the local community he is not one of their own
And apart from them in every way he has grown
He does not share their interests of work, sports, small talk, drinking and football
In fact with them in common he has nothing at all.
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Willie Neenan is still running as running to him is as much a part of his life
As the lives of his athletic daughters and of Marie his good wife
An Irish champion in his seventies and an Irish champion in his prime
No doubt Millstreet's greatest athlete he's proved that time after time.
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You sired two children and raised them to adults most would consider that as good enough
And you were faithful to the one you married and you hung in there though the going was tough
Despite this your wife left you for another and about it there is nothing you can do
But you too can find yourself another partner 'twould seem on that the choice is up to you.
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