If I Were Born Poem by Francis Duggan

If i were born a Maasai I would live as Maasai do
I would live as my ancestors did and love my cattle too
But I was not born a Maasai that's life one must suppose
The daisy of the paddock can never be a rose.

If I were born an Eskimo I would live in an Igloo
I would fish in the cold Artic sea and hunt seal and caribou
But I was not born an Eskimo and it would be fair to say
That I am just an ordinary man not unique in any way.

If i were born a Pacific Islander I'd fish the ocean far and wide
The stars o'er the Pacific at night would be my guide
But little point in saying if for if can never be
I was born in the Northlands far inland from the sea.

If I were born an Australian Aboriginal I would hunt the kangaroo
And dance around the camp fire and play the didgeridoo
But I was born distant from the sunshine of Cape York
In view of Clara Mountain in Millstreet County Cork.