Francis Duggan Poems

The teenagers most of them leave for Cities far away
And the ageing and the old in the Countrytown stay
And the Seasons they come and the Seasons they go
And the creek from the foothills to the river does flow
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He hails from a Mountain Town far north of here
Where weather-wise the Winters are windy, cold, wet and severe
But opposed to the weather the people of his Hometown at heart warm and kind
And better than them one could not hope to find
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The beauty of Nature is all around me
White flowers in clusters in bloom on the pittosporum tree
And the yellow capeweed in bloom in the prime of the Spring
And on bush and tree nesting birds whistle and sing
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Do you feel that life is your great battle as you struggle on from day to day
That lady luck she is against you that from you she looks the other way
In that you are not unusual since your type of person is not rare
There are millions and millions of people doing it hard in the big World out there
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I'm a fellow from old Claragatlea North to say otherwise would be a lie
And a fellow from old Claraghatlea North I will be 'til the day that I die
When people ask me where I come from I say from a place far away
From the old fields by old Clara mountain where I lived for many a day.
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On the fence post in the paddock the black pale eyed crow
Is cawing in the gloam where the Wannon waters flow
On through the Southern Grampians to the Pacific shore
A journey destined to last forever more,
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He did spend a few years in old Millstreet Town
But no memorial there to honour his renown
Though in Gaelic Ireland seen as a literary figure of note
And rated by Gaelic literary experts as a major poet.
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Since you look at most others in a negative way
Why should it matter to me what to others of me you say
Unless you defame me by spreading of lies
As you do make up stories and you're not known to be wise
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You say I am hell bound well that suits me fine
Save your own soul mister you cannot save mine
You waffle on to me of the judgement day
If this be so for my own sins I must pay,
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I cannot boast of any achievements far south of Hibernia's shore
Far south of Millstreet and Ballydaly and the roadway to Rathmore
Only getting old and grayer little else from life to show
I'm not better off or wiser than I was decades ago.
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