Francis Duggan Poems

In my memory it remains as the Millstreet I did know
The Millstreet I lived in decades ago
But in Millstreet the changes keep happening that's life as some do say
And perhaps I would feel a stranger in the old Hometown today.
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In the fields of Cloghoula by the road to Macroom
The wildfowers of Summer are in their full bloom
And in the rushes by the headland hedgerow
Well hidden from view the shy cock pheasant crow,
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To the gift of life the toasting glass I raise
And these simple verses I pen in life's praise
The Winter is here and the sky may be gray
Still 'tis good to be alive on a day like today
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Some religious addicts are into people control
They tell you they have the power to save your soul
From eternal damnation and the fires of hell
And at convincing the gullible to their way of thinking they seem to do well
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You laugh and the whole World seems to laugh with you
And that laughter is the best medicine happens to be true
Some find it hard to laugh as if to laugh is a crime
Though 'tis hard for to be happy all of the time
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Confused in my thinking no surprise in that
At times such as this I do envy the cat
Curled up on the sofa snoring in her sleep
She does not have any worries or any promise to keep.
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I envy them their unrestricted freedom they spend most of their time in the sky
Above the flatlands and valleys and mountains with so little effort they fly
All species of swallows are similar and they can be seen almost Worldwide
They can be seen above Villages, rural and coastal Towns and Cities and flying above the countryside
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Through our circumstance of birth and Nationality we may feel of superior kind
But the good and bad in other races in our travels we will find
We may look on some to us as inferior see them as weeds amongst the flowers
But to us they must be equal since their blood flows red like ours.
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You tell everyone of your greatness of how wonderful you think you are
And they wink behind your back when you tell them of your recent big buy your brand new car
They look on you as rather boastful since your own praises you only sing
In self esteem you are not lacking and that in itself is a good thing,
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We live in the age of the ism or so 'twould seem that way
And if to the majority you seem different for you there is some price to pay
For with some people it does seem that ignorance is bliss
And their chance of putting you down they are not going to miss
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