Francis Duggan Poems

The hearse through the main street is passing slow
With the funeral cars following in a single row
Is the dead person a he or a she?
One day someone will say the same of me.
...

I have never been to the North Pole to the Land of the Midnight sun
Or I have never been to a war zone or even learned how to use a gun
And I've never been to the Amazon the World's biggest river 'tis said
Though of the adventures of others one might say a little I've read.
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I recall when I was a young boy in my ninth year going on ten
I heard the shy cock pheasant cucking in early Summer in the rushy glen
He was one that I did hear often though him I rarely ever did see
A memory from the mid fifties that lives on in my memory,
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To go through life without harming any
And to spread your gift of happiness
Then surely you're one in a million
And of your life you've made a success.
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For those who did this one can't find excuses and when caught they will not be shown any sympathy
They murdered and injured hundreds of people in a callous act of inhumanity
And as per usual 'twas the innocents who suffered they were in the wrong place at the wrong time
Enjoying themselves in a well known Bali Night Club in any case that ought not be a crime.
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Stand aside John Howard and leave some one else take over you've had your go and you've failed to impress
For seven years you've been Prime Minister of Australia and without you there would be more happiness
The Country would be better off without you and you've clung to power in such a sneaky way
History will treat you less kind than did the Aussie voters
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Three years year on in East Timor and they are re-building Dili Town
The houses and the businesses that the Indonesian militia burnt down
These so called emergency soldiers poor East Timor did destroy
Whilst the Indonesian military to stop them did not try.
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The wind keeps the air that bit cooler today it is sixteen degrees
And beautiful pink fluffy blossoms adorn the flowering gum trees
And wattlebirds sing in the sunshine though not very pleasant their song
Their hoarse call is very distinctive once heard you cannot get it wrong.
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Mistletoe hang from the ceiling
And somehow it gets me to feeling
That the Season of Christmas is here
A time of enjoyment and cheer.
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When Pam talks of her ridgeback Ruby there's a sad look on her face
For Ruby was a special dog and none could take her place
She offered her protection and she was a trusting friend
But nothing lasts forever there has to be an end.
...