Francis Duggan Sea Poems

In the paddock above the ocean the butcherbird pipes on a wattle tree
And the huge surf waves can be seen rolling from the cliffs where the land meets the sea
And above the din of the high tide the sea birds wild cries one can hear
Even when I am far from saltwater the saltwater to my heart is near.
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The river widens and deepens as it nears the ocean and into a huge mass of water does grow
To look at it does hardly seem to be flowing at a snail's pace it does crawl along so slow
For dabbling and diving water birds ideal to live in with plenty fish and other water food to eat
The World is quiet by the high and brown paddocks near where the sea and the river do meet
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I did not know her personally though of her i've been told
And she's found her peace beside the sea safe from the rain and cold
She got her wish her final wish that she should have her rest
South in Kilcunda by the waves in place where she loved best
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The polluted World of Suburbia well over an hour's drive away
And out where saltwater is deeper the gannets are diving for prey
The silver gulls mewing on the rooftops and i fancy again i can see
The walking track down to the beach head from that little town by the sea.
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The true sea loving people never live far from the sea
They pine if the ocean they can't hear or see
The feel of the sea spray where the wild breakers roar
Where huge waves pound the stony cliffs overlooking the shore.
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The magpie he pipes on the black wattle tree
In the gray of twilight by the cliffs of the sea
The temperatures nice around 18 degrees
And the evening is calm with only a slight breeze
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In Summer where the Merri flows into the sea
Parents with their children one often does see
Relaxing and swimming on a nice sunny day
In the cool and shallow waters of old Lady Bay
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The gray shrike thrush he pipes on the black wattle tree
In the backyard of her little house by the sea
And four hundred metres from her front door
She can hear the big waves crashing on to the shore
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For culture and hospitality it has won renown
Port Fairy by the ocean a famous old Town
To it's famous music festival that is held once a year
People from all Nations they come from far and near
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Sitting at a park table enjoying cake and tea
Near where the river does meet the sea
Such a lovely place for one to be
Some of the best things in life they are free
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On a beautiful November evening where the Hopkins flows into the sea
People on the beach with their dogs walking enjoying the sunshine before tea
It is such beautiful weather in the prime of the southern Spring
How lovely to hear a male blackbird such a beautiful song he does sing
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A nice evening to take a stroll on the pathway by the sea
For to work up an appetite before the evening tea
A silver billed magpie is warbling on a sunlit wattle tree
And in the park the magpie larks are calling out pee wee
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The coastal guards searched the ocean for miles around
But by them no trace of him was found
His wife and son and daughter then of five and three
Him were never more to see
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Evening picknickers enjoying their cake, sandwiches and tea
Sitting at picnic tables in the park by the sea
An hour before sunset on a nice Summer's day
With the sun low in the sky above the western bay
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In Australia i have traveled a bit been to many a town
And on some of the roadways of the big Country i have driven up and down
But many have seen more of Down Under than me
In the great Southern Country there is so much to see
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The good memories till death will be living in me
Of the beautiful town overlooking the sea
The sound of the waves splashing on the rocks of the shore
A sound that's destined to live forever more
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Young children splash, laugh and have fun
In the rock pool in the warm Spring sun
Their parents sunning on the beach nearby
And sea birds do call as they fly
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The sea is at ease in the calm twilight gray
As the sun is going down o'er the western bay
At the end of what has been a near perfect day
So good to be living is all I can say.
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The Goddess of land and of sea
The one who feeds humanity
And all of life forms big and small
The one who takes care of us all,
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Mid April in Victoria the weather damp and cool
By the sea at killarney 15 k's from Warrnambool
The beach it is deserted not another human being in sight
And a pale looking sun is setting in the fading evening light
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A very nice place to visit for a day
But accomodation is dear there for an overnight stay
What is known as a trendy sea side town
But not for one who is financially down
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Here only the air that you breathe it is free
All else you pay for in the Town by the sea
The sea air is cleaner you do hear some say
Yet few happy faces for to brighten one's day.
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He won't be going back to the town by the sea
Or he'll never again hear the chaffinch on the silver birch tree
Sing in the grey dawn of a cool April day
By his old Homeland shore from here far away,
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In that beautiful place where the river meets the sea
The magpie he pipes on a stringybark tree
And the silver gulls mew on the white beach nearby
As the dark shades of twilight are crossing the sky.
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The grey shrike thrush pipes in the sunshine on a branch of a silky oak tree
And on the beach I can hear the gulls calling from the road that leads down to the sea
On this beautiful evening in September as we near the prime of the Spring
The familiar song of the blackbird to it has an exquisite ring.
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The old paddocks brown and bare looking they've outlived man's mortality
And cool blow the winds of September where the Murray crawls on towards the sea
I fancy I can hear the magpie piping on a lone blackwood tree
Mental pictures of wild rugged beauty embedded in my memory.
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Oh you who walked upon the sea and changed water to wine
I wish you'd change the weather now and give us more sunshine
The chilly winds have risen to a cold and icy storm
And I huddle by the fireplace in order to keep warm.
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Above the beach just before twilight the sea birds they call as they fly
The saltwater on the sand lapping as darkness is crossing the sky
The sea spray and smell of fresh sea weed that was washed in by the morning tide
A freshening wind blow from the ocean and across the coastal countryside.
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He had his own fishing boat for many years though he never ventured far out to sea
And from fishing he made a good living enough to upkeep his family
He was born and he still lives near the ocean and the ocean holds no fears for him
But to many it may seem a bit strange that he's never learned how to swim.
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The constant noise of traffic on the freeway of trucks and cars passing to and fro night and day
Here in overcrowded suburbia suppose the price that people must pay
For living amidst human industry with buildings and streets all around
Yet here in a park in Glen Iris the wild birds of Nature abound.
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The lark he rise above the rank scrub and he carols as upward he fly
And as he ascends he grows smaller till he disappears in the sky
And in the quiet of the mid morning his song seems so peaceful to me
In that old brown and beautiful country where the Powlett flows down to the sea.
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The grey butcherbird he is piping on high branch of old grey gum tree
In a paddock in that flat coastal country where the Tarwin slowly flows to the sea
Between Inverloch and Tarwin Lower away from the traffic and noise
No factory chimneys in these parts of Gippsland puffing black smoke to pollute the skies.
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Everybody is good at something with that most would agree
And there is more to anyone than the naked eye can see
And when Hillary and Norgay climbed Mt Everest they made their own history
And John Masefield is remembered as the great poet of the sea.
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I have been to Ballybunion I've been there ten times before
And I've only bought tea once there but I've had surprise in store
More than five pounds for a sandwich and a lousy cup of tea
That's not honesty in business, call that daylight robbery.
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The waves rushing on to the sandy brown shore
And the high rolling surf against the rocks roar
And sooty oystercatchers take to the sky
And over the choppy sea pipe as they fly.
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