Francis Duggan Poems

My only war is with myself I find life quite a battle
In the paddock across the road I envy the red white face cattle
They sit in the sunshine and they chew their cud without a care or worry
Whilst I am full of jumbled thoughts and I'm always in a hurry.
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I still recall the tiny wren in feathers of mottled brown
The one who had a big bird song his one claim to renown
And as he sang on a small bush his head bobbed up and down
He and his wife raised their family in the hedgerow by the Town.
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A two time All Star Gaelic Footballer about him he inspired many a song
The pride of Cork and Millstreet the marvellous Denny Long
Arguably Ireland's finest midfielder when he was in his prime
The memory of his greatness will not fade out in time.
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Compassion it is a great gift when all is said and done
You will find it in some people but not in everyone
In a World of Compassion of famines and wars we would be free
And we would not be hearing of crimes against Humanity.
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'Tis not by the God you believe in or if you drive in a new car
These kind of things do not tell me of the person that you are
Your values as a Human Being tell us more about you
Than your new car or your new house or than your God can do.
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The rain come down in torrents and thunder's in the sky
And the rufous whistler whistles in the small wood nearby
'Twould seem loud noise in his tiny heart release his gift of song
But I am not a Naturalist and I may have that wrong.
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The love that I feel for you with words I cannot say
But nothing lasts forever or so 'twould seem that way
You left me without warning and in retrospect I see
That I was rather naive to think that you loved me.
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In distant South Australia where the Murray waters flow
Through Tailem Bend and Murray Bridge so wide and deep and slow
She pines for her young lover who left her in the early Spring
When grey shrike thrush the familiar bird his familiar song did sing.
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'Twould seem that we evolved from primates our ancestors swung from the trees
And our distant cousins are gorillas, orang utans and chimpanzees
Though with them we share little in common we have evolved quite differently
Humans have travelled to other planets and gone far in technology.
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A quiet man and to many a good friend
Today for the last time he passed through the West End
Where he and Bina had lived for many years
Those who knew him will farewell him with tears.
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