Have You Ever Felt Maudlin Poem by Francis Duggan

Have you ever felt maudlin and quite close to tears
As you thought of the people you have not seen for years
The few beers you did drink to nostalgia gave rise
And for the far away town there were tears in your eyes

Tinged with sadness in memory your happier times you recall
Of the girls you danced with in the local hall
Some of the living among them grand parents today
In the hometown or from there many miles away

The young men you played with and against in football
Like you they would have aged as age does come to us all
The old pub in the town where you danced, drunk and sung
Along with the band in the days you were young

When your young bones did not feel the chill of the cold
You never realized then that you would grow old
You never realized then that you would walk slow
Old age like a silent thief on us does grow

You feel maudlin and nostalgic with a few beers in
To have feelings in you is never a sin
Such moods come and go to the ageing migrant mind
In memories of good times some sadness you will find.