Francis Duggan Poems

As darkness it is gathering above the ancient hill
The loud bray of a donkey cuts through the evening chill
And in the nearby paddock the spur winged plovers cry
All in the calm of the evening as darkness cloaks the sky,
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In Kilkenny's black and amber a legendary name
The hurler from Inistioge who hurled his way to fame
The renowned Eddie Keher he rates amongst hurling's best
He never was found wanting when he was put to the test.
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How can i judge you mister your life experience so different to mine
You eat in the high class restaurants and drink expensive wine
And you too have a story of your life for to tell
You are seen as successful for yourself you've done well,
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We think of the past and we live for today
And the clock on our lives it is ticking away
And of making a success of life we despair
But far worse off than us in the big World out there.
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He daydreams of adventure and wealth and renown
The ordinary man in an ordinary Town
But from his own street he never ventures far
And his favourite drinking place is his local bar.
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There was a time down at the pub he read his poems with passion
But in his seventies he does not recite since rhyme is out of fashion
They talk of football and of their lives and of how their club is faring
The only culture they speak of in between bouts of swearing.
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And why should one worry or bother to care
Of what's happening today in the big World out there
When to us without power 'tis beyond our control
That too many are living detached from their soul
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The river bank high roars on it's way down
Under the bridge on the high road near the old country town
And the tall trees are soughing in the wind and the rain
The things i once knew i re-visit again,
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What in the heck are we arguing about
You don't like it when your opinions i doubt
You have convinced yourself of a life after death
That life does not end when you draw your last breath.
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In her front garden on a sunny day her i often do see
Tending her flower beds or trimming her hedge or pruning her rose tree
Rosie in her late seventies to those who pass the way
She always greet them with a smile and wish them a good day.
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