Francis Duggan Poems

In Australia as in most lands one people's gain is another people's loss
And Australia's first people their eternal cross
Has been the tragedy of dispossession in their own Land
Though their ancestral history in this Country thousands of centuries have spanned
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Do laugh loud and be happy as some are known to say
And do not take yourself too seriously and make the most of every day
The years go by so quickly and time keeps ticking away
The early flowers that come to bloom are the first to decay
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Some people say in life you can be successful at anything that you might wish to be
Successful at but what is success since what is successful to you may not be so to me
And when you say anyone can be successful on that with you i choose to disagree
You will not find many among the wealthy and the famous who have started life in extreme poverty
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Perhaps i will never climb Clara again
In Spring overlooking the countryside lush and green from recent rain
With amazing views of Duhallow and Sliabh Luachra beyond Rathmore and Knocknagree
Such wonderful beauty that i have been privileged to see
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The song of the blackbird a familiar voice of the Spring
From all other songbirds a distinctive thing
Unlike the native Australian magpie who sings every day of the year
For nine months the blackbird's song one does not hear
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Her father Pat hailed from Millstreet in Duhallow a member of the famous Cashman clan
In Canada with his wife and family he grew old and lived out his life span
His daughter Kitty is a famous race walker in the World Masters Games in Puerto Rico, Spain and Italy she has walked her way to renown
With World gold and silver and bronze medals how many would know of this in Millstreet Town?
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Denis Napthine and Dan Tehan as political power-brokers are known and famed far and wide
And are known to be strong Parliamentary adversarial exponents of the political divide
But they seem to be far from some of the people of Commercial Road when the rain buckets down
And floods the Main Street in old Koroit Town
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On the fork of the branch she sits on some upwards with binoculars at her do stare
Whilst others with flash cameras take photographs of her later with family and friends for to share
Yet of her audience the resting marsupial does not seem aware
In fact koalas of human curiosity do not seem to care
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The old Hopkins River in flood waters of brown
Deep and slow and silent does crawl on by Warrnambool Town
On towards the Blue Hole where into the Pacific it does flow
How old are the rivers would anyone know?
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Advice from afar of which i did avail
Mike C from Millstreet reminded me in an email
If you cannot visit Claraghatlea in person visit there by Google Earth instead
This from a man in his thinking of me far ahead
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