Face Book © Tony Fallon 022818

Face Book © Tony Fallon 022818

Some people come on Face book for about a year

Then one day out of the blue they suddenly disappear

They told us everything about their friends and feelings

And sometimes asked us to pray to help their healings

They told us of all their family problems big and small

And they often told us things they shouldn’t have told at all

You must be careful what you say even if the person is dead

One day you may be very sorry for the ugly things you said

Many stories were told of family or neighborhood disputes

Parents wanted to know what to do with school yard brutes

They told us about breakfast and how often they went to the loo

And whether for their dinner they had roast beef or Irish stew

Some wanted you to copy and paste and say you liked their page

And if you don’t do what they tell you they’ll be in a rage

Others want you to send your friend twelve to twenty prayers

If you should break the chain no heaven you’re going downstairs

Many parents had lost control of children and wanted a referee

And they will not admit that it’s far too late to try to bend the tree

Many people thought Face book was the place to meet a mate

And only made friends with opposites in great hopes of a date

That a mature adult should fall for that is to me very alarming

From the pages of Face book I doubt there’s one prince charming

But Face book is not a waste there are great people here I admit

Who like to write good short stories love poems and good old wit.

Fish © Tony Fallon 022418.

Fish © Tony Fallon 022418.

For one more week the animals will be leaved
And boy is I relieved
I taught next week might be about fishes
And that wood not be one of my wishes
But if the choice was fish we’d all be hooked
And if you didn’t write the poem you was cooked
You would have to discuss line and rod
And the best way to catch pike and cod
They are knot cuddly they are cold
And not much company unless they are gold
But they are in a tank and can’t come out to play
And the cat keeps an eye on them every day
Porpoises are easy to mollify
But as fish they may not qualify
Not many people have a pet shark
Noah didn’t take even won on the ark
The monster whale is not known for its slowness
And nobody has made friends since the days of Jonas
In clubs and bars many fish are on display
And they aren’t as big as the wons that got away.
I love fresh fish from a local creek
I could eat them for dinner seven days of the week.
No matter how hard I prayed mine never increased
Like they did for Jesus at the wedding feast.

Prospects © Tony Fallon022318

Prospects © Tony Fallon022318

When I was growing up they said I lacked ambition
They said I was even too slow to be a mortician
I always listened to the radio I wanted to be a musician
So I went to the music teacher for an audition

I told him I planned to enter many a competition
He said my singing of the scale was a very poor rendition
He played an Irish tune but I couldn’t give the definition
He said if you can’t recognize a jig you can’t play tradition

And since I didn’t have any basics of musical recognition
To take me under his wing would be a waste of tuition
He was of the opinion that I would need a real magician
He said I might be a good mechanic or an electrician

The New Yank © Tony Fallon022618

The New Yank © Tony Fallon022618

I took pictures of the plane as it came in towards the ground

When it passed over my head I kept snapping as I turned around

The sound was ear splitting my ear drums almost burst

Then the plane touched down you were in America over the worst

Those five long years and all the paperwork were truly worth the wait

And my heart nearly burst with love as you finally walked out the gate

I hardly recognized you; you somehow seemed a wee bit slighter

And instead of rosy cheeks your face looked so much whiter

Five long years is a long time without being kissed or embraced

And I never wanted to let go of you again as I held you by the waist

You marveled at all the different people there all milling around

It must be a cultural shock coming from a little Irish country town

On the Van Wyck and Grand Central you were full of fascination

And I hardly got to say a word until we got to our Yonkers destination

Later you said you weren’t hungry and you barely touched your plate

And then who walked in later but your third cousins from upstate

The next few days were a whirlwind as I showed you all the sights

We went around Manhattan on a boat and went to Broadway most nights

Amid all this travelling day and night you rarely wanted to eat

And when you did it was always a plate of vegetables not a bit of meat

Your eating habits were bothering me and I wanted to have a chat

You said there wasn’t a thing to worry about you were already far too fat

I also noticed you were having far too many bathroom episodes

When I mentioned all this to my sister she said those were warning codes

I also mentioned to my doctor and he advised not to be in a rush to marry

And a word I barely recognized anorexia entered my vocabulary

We were lucky enough you faced your problem and addressed my concern

And I know somehow we’ll get thought this but we both have a lot to learn

The Animals © Tony Fallon 022218

The Animals © Tony Fallon 022218


Some of the biggest animals who lived are now extinct
In the history of the world they barely blinked 
We saw their awesome power and size in Jurassic Park
But if you think land is unsafe then think about the shark
Many of those that survive we surely mistreat them
Others we pamper because we are going to eat them
Many societies offered them to their Gods for salvation
And to prevent their trip to hell and eternal damnation
From the beginning man was obsessed with domestication
Hop upon a horses back for real cheap transportation
Ten thousand years have passed since an animal was tamed
Except the ones in zoos for which we should be ashamed
I don’t think wild animals were created to be confined
It’s no wonder the ape turns around and shows us his behind
Then we had the wanton shooting from the American trains
Of the majestic Bison and buffalo shot and left to rot on the plains
The poor old bulls in Spain don’t have too many animal rights
As the “civilized” humans yell for blood and death at the bullfights
Hunters with big guns will travel to Africa, Australia or Nepal
To shoot some majestic animal to puts its head on a wall
Still I suppose humans are humane and have the welcome mat
And take very good care of many of man’s best friend the dog and cat.

OTB 021918 Tony Fallon

OTB 021918 Tony Fallon
OTB is Off Track Betting
Similar to a Turf Accountant.
A legal way to take your money
With no smile
Because
You bet on a machine
And you can watch on TV
I bought the morning paper
Planned my strategy
I would go there
For just the last three races
And I would play a pick 3
One horse per race
All must win.
In Ireland each race has a time
In America only the first
All the others just a number
So I guessed
Got there with two minutes to spare
Either I didn’t know what I was doing
Or the machine didn’t know
What I was trying to do
And the race went off
Without my bet
My choice stopped after the start
My lucky day
So I played the other two in a double
And like my poem of a few days ago
They both won.
Now lest you are thinking
That I’m going to the dogs
I mean horses.
I do plead guilty
I go to OTB at least
Three times
Every year.
I only bet $2 today
Made $25
Unless I get reckless
I should wind up ahead this year.

Prospects © Tony Fallon022318

Prospects © Tony Fallon022318

When I was growing up they said I lacked ambition

They said I was even too slow to be a mortician

I always listened to the radio I wanted to be a musician

So I went to the music teacher for an audition

I told him I planned to enter many a competition

He said my singing of the scale was a very poor rendition

He played an Irish tune but I couldn’t give the definition

He said if you can’t recognize a jig you can’t play tradition

And since I didn’t have any basics of musical recognition

To take me under his wing would be a waste of tuition

He was of the opinion that I would need a real magician

He said I might be a good mechanic or an electrician

The Swallow© Tony Fallon 022118

The Swallow© Tony Fallon 022118

In the cold of winter the last apple must fall from the tree
By this time summer is gone and so is the wasp and bee
When it lands far below it’s broken and its life is over
The weeds have died on the stalk there is no grass or clover

No birds are singing in the trees or in the sullen sky
The winter sure is dreary I wish it was June or July
The neighbors talk of temperature and their aches and pains
If we all had more money we could fly to Florida on planes

I remember how much fun we had together in the summer
You just appeared one day in our town you were a newcomer
You were a breath of fresh air prettier than the prettiest rose
We sat by the river and read to each other poetry and prose

When summer came to an end you got the urge to leave
You were like the bees and the birds I honestly believe
My heart felt like the apple all broken on the cold ground
I had to stay behind while you left and headed south bound.

You are not at all like the trees you are more like the fruits
I don’t think you are the kind that will ever set down roots
To have someone like you at all I never would have guessed
To be with you for one summer I really felt so blessed

So fly away my summer beauty to stay I shall not plea
You are like the birds in the sky you have to be free
Maybe you’ll come back in spring relaxed and unstressed
And like a returning swallow seek out our summer nest.

The Girl in the Jeep © Tony Fallon022118

The Girl in the Jeep © Tony Fallon022118

I’m thinking about her and I can’t fall asleep
It doesn’t help a bit even if I count sheep
She is a cute red head and she drives a Jeep
She waves when she passes and gives me a beep

Two weeks ago she wandered into my store
I don’t think she had ever been in here before
She really looked elegant in the clothes she wore
And she needed a key for her garage door.

I asked about the jeep she said she also had a Cadillac
A nineteen sixty three convertible painted red and black
She said it only had three wheels the other was a jack
And on the windshield there was a big long crack

She said her parents as teenagers were very weird
Her father had long hair and a real hippy beard
They might also be smoking that’s what she feared
For that was many years before she first appeared

The story about her parents to me had no appeal
I was only interested in getting behind the Caddy wheel
I asked her very gently if her father might like to deal
And make me the proud owner of his automobile

She said he treated the car like it was nobility
To ask him to part with it was really futility
But she’d let me know of any possibility
Then she’d have a garage for her sports utility

I don’t care about the car it might be out of my price zone
Whenever I see her passing in the jeep I feel so alone
When she was here I didn’t even ask for her phone
Now I think of three Gaelic words ochone, ochone ochone. 

The little children© Tony Fallon 021818.

The little children© Tony Fallon 021818.

We don’t want bullets and blood

From people who are misunderstood

We don’t want spilled blood on school stairs

We don’t want flowers and prayers

We don’t want dead children’s bodies on a school floor

Enough is enough no more no more

Must we become a nation of guns?

Used for practice on little ones

This is not the comics where you can be killed by a sword

And one minute later life is magically restored

The young lives are ended once blood is shed

And flowers and prayers won’t bring back the dead.

We must ensure there are no more repeats

Even if we have to go out and protest in the streets

A day at the Track © Tony Fallon 021718

A day at the Track © Tony Fallon 021718

My wife said as I walked out the door if you go to the track you’re in trouble

I said why do you think I’m leaving so early? I want to be there for the double

When I started to look at the form I see a filly named My Wild Irish Lass

She had never won a race in her life but she was moving away down in class

The form said she did poorly in summer but got placed a few times in winter

She didn’t do well in long races this six furlongs might prove her a sprinter

I had never heard of the trainer and the jokey was a Mexican named Jesus

I’d kill myself if I bet against her if she won that means I would lose

The next race was only for jumpers which is called a steeplechase

If I was to hit the double I needed this winner it was no good to place

Number two was called The Cobbler he was foaled at home in Kildare

So I put my faith hope and ten dollars on this very strange Irish pair

I realize I had all my eggs in one basked I be finished if either one fell

Then I probably wouldn’t be allowed home I might wind up in a motel

The two that I played were long shots if they won it would be a jackpot

It wouldn’t pay off as much but a two dollar ticket on the Lass I then bought

Well she behaved well for the starter and jumped right out of the gate

Before they had gone two furlongs she was ahead by seven or eight

Jesus just couldn’t hold her he didn’t even get a chance to look back

And when they got to the finish line they were far ahead of the pack

There wasn’t too much cheering she went off at almost thirty to one

And I was stuck in the Club House watching the race being rerun

I now had almost fifty dollar more in my pocket maybe the start of progress

If today is my lucky day in half an hour there will be much more success

Now if The Cobbler at ten to one wins this wild dream is complete

I don’t want him to go too fast I just want him to stay on his feet

He stood out among the others with the jockeys’ green and white shirt

Within the first mile some had fallen and he was all covered with dirt

To make the three mile race shorter we’ll move on to the very last fence

The Cobbler was maybe three lengths behind I was feeling quite tense

The leader took the fence like he was Arkle then tripped and fell flat on his face

And the great Cobbler who was born in Kildare won the steeplechase Race

Valentine © Tony Fallon 021418

Valentine © Tony Fallon 021418

Last night I heard it through the vine
That you do not want to be mine
You say I treated you like swine
oh boy I would be on cloud nine
if you will be my Valentine

You know I think you are divine
I do not like to have to whine
You know for you I truly pine
I will built for you a wee shrine
if you will be my Valentine

without you the sun does not shine
I wanna take you out to dine
I will buy a bottle of wine
From a north Californian vine
if you would be my Valentine

If you won't listen to my plea
tell your sister Pam I am free.

The Kitchen Table © Tony Fallon 021418

The Kitchen Table © Tony Fallon 021418

The kitchen was the most import room in most Irish homes

That’s why it is mentioned so often in Irish songs and poems

They write about the hearth and the big roaring fire

And the last cup of tea at night before you would retire

How about the glass case with all the cups and plates

And letters in a rubber band from children in the States

But the most important thing to me was the kitchen table

Round which we’d sit each night to hear a story or a fable

It was made of heavy wood with real knots and grains

Made with love by my father with chisels and planes

Yong days were full of surprises but what could compare

To the day you were big enough to sit in a kitchen chair

You could now look out the window to see the cows and ass

I know I learned more at the kitchen table than I did in class

I remember the early board games like snakes and ladders

I know it was a simple game but it made us better adders

While children in America were being introduces to crafts

We were sitting at the kitchen table trying to learn drafts

When you took your finger off the man you had moved

The adults were so happy when you showed you had improved

It was around the same table that we learned twenty five

And often in our parlor we had a pre Christmas card drive

One of my mother’s famous turkey cocks would be first prize

To play your cards badly that night would be very unwise

The final round would be the highlight of that magic night

Played on the kitchen table beneath the tilly light

Beneath that same lamp I read Long John on Treasure Island

And the Scots fighting the English on the Scottish Highland

I never needed to lie in bed and count jumping sheep

I often read Grimm stories at the table until I fell asleep

We gathered there one early morning in the month of May

To hear the second heavyweight match between Liston and Clay

I remember another dark night there which I never have forgot

When I heard on the radio from the USA that Kennedy had been shot

But the days spent round that table had many days and nights of bliss

And my thoughts return with the song Memories are made of this

The Weather © Tony Fallon 021218

The Weather © Tony Fallon 021218

I hate the weather in the summer when it’s warm and dry

I don’t like August or June but the really worst for me is July

The sun shines on your body but you must cover your head

There are many who wouldn’t do it and nearly wound up dead

But often the very best of advice is just blatantly scorned

I don’t like to see people suffer but by gosh they were warned

Some people say they like those months I have my suspicion

In every room in their house they have one big air condition’

I Love the autumn weather if it stays around sixty five

You have to dig up all the vegetable or they won’t survive

Its time to pick all the fruits that grow on bushes or trees

It’s also time to dress up to steal the honey from the bees

You should drain the gas and oil and winterize the mower

Buy some salt and shovels and do a tune up on the snow blower

The days will be getting shorter another blanket on the bed

On television they are already talking about Santa and his sled      

I do prefer the winter months even though they are cold

You can clap your hands together and pretend you’re not old

You can stamp your feet and do skipping or a little jumping

That’ll circulate the blood in your veins and get your heart pumping

I do not like the black frost and I don’t like the white show

But if you don’t have the money for Florida then you cannot go

Old people go to the malls each morning and move from seat to seat

They chat with all their old friends and at least there’s plenty of heat

You know spring is in the air when the add an hour on to the clock

And you see the Canadian geese heading north in a V shaped flock           

The bee the bat the butterfly the robin the blackbird and the little wren

Will remind us it is spring in the mountain the valley and the glen

For weeks they build nests and pick a mate for this years breeding

They say most male birds stay around to help with juniors daily feeding

We put up with fog and showers and pollen borne on a warming breeze

A whole new world is wakening up all around us so what if we sneeze

Valentines Day (C) Tony Fallon 021117

Valentines Day (C) Tony Fallon 021117

Valentine’s Day is a day of romance
When many a fella takes a big chance
By asking your one favorite ms
If you can be forever her only his
This should be done in the evening hours
And don’t forget a big bunch of flowers
Even if she’s on a diet and losing weight
You should also bring a box of chocolate
And to really prove you’re very smart
They all must be in the shape of a heart
This all will prove that your heart is gigantic
And that you are the kind that is so romantic
You should also tell her she won’t have to cook
That you have seats in a nice little Nook
Don’t even consider having beer in a stein
Tell the waiter you want the finest of wine
This is the one day you hope you’ve impressed
Also, compliment on the way she is dressed
If it’s getting late don’t kick up a fuss
Just take a taxi home instead of the bus
I have no other advice no other plan
If you really want to be this ladies man

The English Writer © Tony Fallon 021018

The English Writer © Tony Fallon 021018

Had I known I was going to be a writer with all this glamour

I'd have paid better attention to vocab,spelling and grammar

There were good books in the library that I should have read

Not comics by flashlight under the blanket by night in my bed

I would never have wasted time on subtraction and addition

And used the dictionary and thesaurus on composition

Of course at that time I thought a thesaurus was a Latin bull

Or a wild sheep on a Brazilian mountains with angora wool

Where to use the apostrophe often led to complications

But there were other larger problems with other punctuations

I certainly would have used synonyms for wordy refinements

On all my overnight or weekend and home work assignments

I did okay with stories and poems but not good with dramas

And I never figured how many words go between two commas

One Monday night I asked my mother about a semi colon

She said I think that is a small intestine that is swollen

The teacher often seemed to have her features out of joint

Because of my wrong use of the stop or the exclamation point

She often said my dangling participles should never be seen

I was so embarrassed to hear something so obscene

ITS' is not IT'S, THEY'RE or THEIR isn't used for THERE

I don't think a TO plus a TOO will ever add up TWO a FORE

Question should start with what, why, would, should or could

You show you weren't attentive by using the wrong WOOD

Some use sentences with long and complicated explanations

Someone else uses a long string of simple abbreviations

Should the question mark be inside or outside the quotations?

I still don't understand half the English language regulations

I often write some long sentence that can be over half a page

I don't know when is enough or when to stop or disengage

There are rules and more rules which you cannot circumvent

We must all stick with them regardless of how we lament

Still there is one unwritten law of absolute magnificence

All us poets are protected from errors by poetic license

Friends in Need © Tony Fallon 020718

Friends in Need © Tony Fallon 020718

If your friends are slowly falling apart

And one person is suffering a broken heart

It’s very dangerous to become the referee

With whatever you say they may both disagree

For this complicated task you are unprepared

They both may be edgy they both may be scared

For your trouble there may be no upside

They may make up and she becomes his bride

But a worse scenario is to be a false friend to the pair

You are being a hypocrite and extremely unfair

You tell each stories you are no more than a tattle

You are supposed to bring peace not more battle

You may be the kind of person who enjoys strife

Who would gladly give another twist to the knife

The friend of two nights ago was tonight betrayed

To the other the exact same drivel was tonight conveyed

Both of them know they are not one hundred percent wrong

By aggravating them both the disagreement you prolong

Criticism of the other person ruins your reputation

You may lose two friends for your petty participation

The high regard I had for someone is in decline

Talking behind friends back they will talk behind mine 

The Robin © Tony Fallon 020618

The Robin © Tony Fallon 020618

If I saw a robin flying up here it would be something to behold

I don’t think I’ll see a robin flying up here because it is too cold.

But that got me wondering where could the robin possibly be?

In this weather he certainly couldn’t be in a bush or on a tree

He must have some decent shelter when weather is severe

Otherwise we would not see him in the springtime of the year

So I went to Google and was told they do and don’t migrate

Some said they leave their summer residences early or late

Others said they leave in late summer others said in early fall

Then some so called bird experts say they don’t leave at all

All those different answers felt to me like birdie fertilizer

About migrating habits of the robin I certainly was no wiser

Robins eat a lot of different fruits not found in frozen estates

So I’d bet my bottom dollar they fly off to southern states.

The Music © Tony Fallon 020518

The Music © Tony Fallon 020518

The Music © Tony Fallon 020518

The human race is so individual and unique
There are so many languages and dialects we speak
But music is a medium which is even greater
Musicians thrown together do not need a translator
Where has the music gone you ask? it has not left at all
It's still played in little basements and in Carnegie Hall
There are many old recorded tapes packed away in crates
And old records gathering dust known as seventy eights
There are millions of records in stereo and mono
And CD's and Mp3's by Justin Timberlake and Bono
Somewhere in Ireland there's a lad on a concertina
Dreaming someday he will sell out some big City arena
Of course I don't think anything will hit another shore
Like the Beatles did in America in nineteen sixty four
There are some who like old time country other who like pop
Billy Idol and Joey Ramone took metal to the top
The best are idolized like Chuck Berry in rock and roll
And who can forget the old legends of both jazz and soul
The Irish scene is full of names as diverse as Sharon Shannon
John McCormack, Daniel, Luke Kelly and of course De Dannan
Every country has their songs which fond memories invoke
Far from home we emigrants sing songs which are known as folk
When the great ones leave us they surely leave behind a void
It's wrong to say when they passed away that their music died
In my forty years on radio I played rap to rock a billy
I've heard songs that were intelligent and some that were silly
Coming from DJ jobs I often crawled into the bed at four
I must have heard a million songs I could hear a million more
For the young songwriter the future is not so bright
What they write this morning will be on YouTube tonight
I think they are treated unfairly and that is not sour grapes
But that never happened in the days of eight track tapes
No the music has not gone away it's there for the masses
Often it's played by hotshots wearing expensive sun glasses.

I know a man (C) Tony Fallon 020118

I know a man 


For many years
He’s nearly ninety
He has neither kith nor kin
He had 3 or 4 brothers and 2 sons
They are all dead.
Only in laws that despise him
When his brothers died they left him insurance
And their widows nothing
On one he needed some legal papers
He gave the widow 500
He got a quarter mill
Pretty fair exchange he said
You can see where the hate comes from
One time he had nuts and needed bolts
He had bolts and needed nuts
After I searched for twenty minutes
He said a dollar twenty was too much
He was is and always will be cheap
He lives in a room
With blankets piled high
Because there isn’t enough heat
So he spends his time in diners
Or in his truck, with the heat on.
The truck is brand new from a dead brother
He has it loaded with junk
He’s always bragging about all the money he has
Which is at least a million, maybe a lot more
Last night the temperature was about 30F
With the wind chill factor it was about 10F
At about 11 at night
I saw him going thru every garbage can
In the local Parking lot looking for empty cans.
He gets five cents for each empty
I know it’s not proper English
But, some people would learn you how to live
Being poor is not an economic condition
It’s a state of mind

In the name of Love© Tony Fallon 013118

In the name of Love© Tony Fallon 013118

In this world there are many games of war
Sometimes all the players don’t know the score
They don’t know when the conflict starts
And all may wind up with broken hearts
Paul loved Mary but Mary loved John
Mary was a lovely girl barely twenty one
Paul often had to stay home and cool his heels
While the other two dined out on fancy meals
She may not have known how to untangle
From this really delightful love triangle
The bickering became too much of an ordeal
So John joined the navy and became a navy seal
Paul now felt that Mary had been too conceited
And was not happy with the way he had been treated
It’s strange how humans compete to be picked
And lose all interest when there’s no conflict
Now Mary walks the streets missing the attention
John says he’s staying in until he gets a pension

Dolly the Cat © Tony Fallon 020218

Dolly the Cat © Tony Fallon 020218

When we were young we had a cat

Who was neither afraid of mouse or rat

Even our dog she would combat

Dolly always gave him tit for tat

The neighbors had a big St Bernard

Even he was afraid to come in our yard

With her and the rooster there was no peace

And she wasn’t afraid of ducks or geese

Of her turkeys my mother was so proud

So no chasing the turkeys was allowed

Old Ned the donkey she’d never attack

And she was the Queen riding on his back

She loved the cows with her heart and soul

And she loved the milk in her special bowl

She was cranky and contrary no way genteel

 She only was friendly if you were eating a meal

There was rarely a meow or a purr

And you walked around her she didn’t stir

The kitchen window was her sleeping shrine

That’s where the sun always seemed to shine

She like the king and queen of our abode

We often threatened to throw her out on the road

I’m sure we had kinder cats that were more refined

Yet when I think of cats Dolly pops into my mind