Weather© Tony Fallon083118

Weather© Tony Fallon083118

If trouble comes down the local mountain
You don't want to be around
If trouble comes down the local mountain
You'd better head for higher ground

The last time trouble came down the mountain
It nearly swept away the bridge 
The last time trouble came down the mountain
It ruined my washer and fridge

Fourteen feet of water came down the little river
And in my basement left a foot of silt
After all that water came down the little river 
My basement had to be rebuilt 

With all that water lapping 
One house started to list
With all that water lapping 
We all had to assist

This is supposed to only happen every hundred years
With all the sewer and drainage clogged
This is supposed to only happen every hundred years
With all our property and housing badly waterlogged

I wonder what climate change disbelievers will say
To us with daily fears
I wonder what those doubters will say
If the storm doesn’t wait another ninety two years

The Wild West ©TonyFallon082818.

The Wild West ©TonyFallon082818.

It was fast approaching midnight we had been playing poker since noon
Nobody cared if it rained or snowed outside we were in Miss Kitty's Saloon
The pile of money in front of me had raised and recently declined
But I had twenty more in my boot but if I lost that I'd lose my mind
They told me in New York that the real action was out in the Wild West
And if I wanted to play honest poker Dodge City was far the best
I was now at a big table with Bat Masterson and the man called Doc
And if my money lasted we could be there until five or six o'clock
We were playing no wild cards just honest to goodness seven card stud 
So far everybody had been mannerly on the ground there was no blood
Wyatt Earp collected guns at the door so there would be no disruption
Of course Bat and Doc were not challenged a little Wild West corruption
It was my turn to deal and I flipped them once or twice being real cool
Doc smiled and said "don't deal from the bottom son unless you are a fool"
Well that little piece of his advice worked wonders brought me down to earth
I started to fret and wondered how I got involved far from my land of birth
Well I dealt out the hands to Doc an ace and myself a red ten shown
Away on the right was the only other Irishman Ned from Tyrone
When I saw two black tens in the hole I knew I'd certainly be contending
So I had better get that twenty out because in Dodge there was no lending 
I explained to all and sundry that I had some money hidden in my boot
Because with Bat and The Doc at the table any strange move and they'd shoot
Doc again flashed me his big broad smile and said "don't try anything too smart
Or there will be a big hole in your shirt right in front of your Irish heart"
There was a bet and one raise and in my stomach there was a big knot
I didn't want to scare anybody out by raising I wanted a fine big pot
The next deal helped nobody but Doc because he got a big fat red ace
He never changed expression that man gave nothing away with his face
While some players raised the bet on the table I kept saying "I'll see"
If Doc had another Ace in the hole that means he already had three
I had paid no attention to my fourth card and now I could barely relax
The fifth card matched nicely with it I now also had a nice pair of jacks
Well I was down to my last three dollars when they made the final call 
I was playing there would be no more raises to St Peter and St Paul
If I go back to DODGE for poker I don't think I can deal there again
Because while the full house would have won the pot the last card was also a ten

Too Late© Tony Fallon 082718

Too Late© Tony Fallon 082718

I have to tell you right now, you I really hate
To spread evil lies about me, you just couldn't wait
for five or six more hours. And get the rumors straight
Now you are real sorry, just a little bit too late


So you realize your error, you read the update
I had so much trust in you, I thought you were my mate
You want to start the friendship again, with a clean slate
You should have thought of that yesterday, now it is too late

We've been together for so long, my favorite classmate
We never separated, so easy to communicate
I never believed our great friendship, would disintegrate
But the rapport is surely over , now it is too late

This is too much aggravation, to have to contemplate
Maybe in a month I might be in a mellower state
And I might be more forgiving, as you are only eight
But right now my instinct tells me, it is far too late.

John McCain R.I.P.(C)TonyFallon082618

John McCain R.I.P.(C)TonyFallon082618

John McCain of Arizona after college courses
Went and volunteered for the American Naval Forces
According to family tradition he was now the heir
And within a short time he was a pilot in the air
Not long after that he was learning about Ho Chi Min
Fighting the Viet Cong in a war we could not win
One day on a sortie the Viet Cong shot down his plane
A prize capture for the enemy the great John McCain

He remained a prisoner for nigh on five long years
With light to try and blind him and noise to burst his ears
With early release offered he heroically refused
Only to suffer indignities and often be abused
And to spent more years in a little solitary cell
In the dungeon then known as the Hanoi Hilton Hotel
From his treatment he spent his whole life in constant pain
Yet later he forgave his tormentors the great John McCain

His political journey will go down with some regret
If he was in the White House I don't think we'd have to sweat
When the book of honor is written edited and checked
McCains name will be in the fore under honor and respect
Mc Greggor came to New York and caused a little fuss
When he threw an arm chair through the window of a bus
He said he was not afraid of Stallone Ali or John Wayne
But you'd never catch him in a ring with that man McCain

Birthday©TonyFallon082418

Birthday©TonyFallon082418

I got older the day before yesterday and you made a fuss

You told everybody my age that is treasonous

We long ago made a pact no ages would be revealed

And from the rest of the world our ages would be concealed

I know how to use make up and I weekly dye my hair

And I use spandex underwear to keep in my derriere

I hope you keep your big mouth shut and not let it be known

That half of my large breasts is one hundred percent silicone

I’ve worked on my figure I’ve worked out on my weight

Now because of you no one believes I’m thirty eight

Looking Back© Tony Fallon082318

Looking Back© Tony Fallon082318

I was an altar boy but I did not go through hell
The severest that ever happened was the priest would yell
When we served Sunday mass they were such cranky creatures 

But in the school I went to so were the lay teachers

In secondary townies and country were taught together
And teachers very soon found another use for leather
Corporal punishment for teen agers was very common
At the brothers and the nuns in the town of Roscommon

The teachers the priests and some parents had a short fuse
Is it any wonder so many wound up on the booze
To complain to parents or aunts often was just futile
All of the grownups some children knew were just brutal

If you were bad at math or stumbled at English reading 
You were probably in for one hell of a beating
Why they were called teachers at all is way beyond my scope
If you were not smart or brilliant there just was little hope

Yet in almost every classroom there was one teacher’s pet
The ignored ones amongst us look back with some regret
The cruelty has finally stopped but not before its time
The sad thing is so many of them got away with crime

The Girl in the Donut Shop © TonyFallon 082118

The Girl in the Donut Shop © TonyFallon 082118

The Girl in the Donut Shop ©TonyFallon 082118……..Another Tony Fallon Poem.


I remember the day I met you, you were cold and chilled
you were too far out on Route 32 you could have been killed
I was on the way to New York on one of my rare trips
and had just stopped at the store for a bag of fish and chips


I could tell you were troubled from your facial expression
And they way you were thumbing was very close to aggression
I couldn't imagine you were not aware of the awful danger
of a pretty girl like you accepting a ride from a stranger


I asked you how far you were going you said you didn't care
You had a row with your parents and wanted out of their hair
You said you hadn't eaten and I could tell you'd love the fries
So I gave them over to you  and decided I would not criticize

I asked where you intended to live and you said somewhere in Queens 
And if things didn't work out there you'd volunteer for the marines
You said you had no college but you had a High School Diploma
And you had worked nights in the Pizzeria know as Roma

Well I dropped you off in Flushing at a well known Holiday Inn
I said I'd come the next day at five in case you'd go home again
Well I didn't make it on time but you were there at half past five
I could tell by the big smile you were happy to see me arrive 

You had spoken to your parents and said the rules were far too strict
And you couldn't take the constant family fighting and conflict
So they promised they would change and there would be no more insults
And you would all try to live together like three mature adults.



You said you would like to come along but that was no surprise
you had a big bag from McDonald's with Filet-o-Fish and fries
I guess that was a payback gift and I was a bit amused 
also you were a lot more focused and a little less confused



Well the return trip to the Cairo town was certainly not as glum
and you told me all about Grandpa and your father and your mum
now every morning when I get a bagel in Dalton’s Donut Place
I'm so happy to see the new girl with a big smile on her face

John © Tony Fallon081818

John © Tony Fallon081818


I met John one day in January he was happy as Larry
When I asked why he was he said he was going to remarry
Now here was an unlucky man who was not on a winning streak
He had buried four wives already the most recent last week
I was going to suggest he wait but thought that might not be polite
Besides I think he'd been drinking he was almost as high as a kite
He said there would be no wedding it would be an eloping event
And they would have to start preparing because soon it would be Lent
Picking up my courage I said I think that's a lot of balderdash
Why don't you wait until Easter and have a real old Irish bash
But John was not extravagant in fact he was tight and thrifty
He owned half the village already and he still had not reached fifty
He always fancied lonely widows who came with a farm of land
And I and others were assuming he was planning to expand
If a big fancy wedding cost him money he would be in despair
So it was better to elope than to pay for a costly affair
Things took a course and all were set for eloping four weeks later
He was bragging to everyone about her farm and excavator
I'm sure the priest on standby up in Galway was in for a surprise
I'm sure he was thinking double he might also have to baptize
Well as you know yourself the best laid plans can sometimes go astray
To get the marriage license didn't he wait until the very last day
When he got to the front they said his wife's death cert had not been compiled
He'd be charged with bigamy if he wed before the papers were filed
That meant they would have to kill all plans of a small wedding or eloping
Within two weeks the widow found another man I swear I'm not joking
Let this be a lesson about taking care of any important project
Or like John lose a fine farm and widow because now he is really fecked

A Little Late©TonyFallon082018

A Little Late©TonyFallon082018

I once made a blind date and was supposed to be there at eight
But I stopped for a bunch of roses and a box of chocolate
As I came walking down the street I was just feeling great
But she went out with my brother so I was a little late

My older brother did things like that him I really hated
I often asked my mother if we were really related
Well I sat down on the front step and there I patiently waited
And what I planned to say it would not need to be translated

Another girl came out and asked if it was ok to remain
She said she understood what happened I had nothing to explain
She too had a sibling whom for her had nothing but distain
Who would not change her ways no matter how often she'd complain

I guess misery loves company and I got some warm feelings
We talked about everything I guess my heart was unfreezing
The longer we talked the less and less my heart was grieving
When I gave her the bunch of flowers she was really beaming

I took out on the town that night I guess that was our first date
And between us later we finished off the box of chocolate
Two weddings came out of that night but ours is really great
Whenever we all go out on weekends they are always late

You©Tony Fallon 081718

You©Tony Fallon 081718

There is a hurt in the bottom of my heart almost every day
Whether I am in the Highlands or in Australia far away
I could be on a river bank or in the Lock Lomond Glen
Or be on London Bridge and hear the hourly pealing of Big Ben
I could be on the lonely Shannon banks of Lovely Lough Ree
A lonely swan swimming there brings a memory back to me
This is the hell I'm feeling this is the hell I'm going through
It would all be better tomorrow if only I am with you

I could be roaming in the gloaming or climbing up Slieve Bawn
Or listen to cuckoo's calling a few minutes after dawn
I could be on a mountain top after sleeping there all night
And watch the circling Aer Linus end the trans Atlantic flight
Out beyond Clew Bay fishing boats and trawlers are coming home
And on the beach below me see the crashing Atlantic foam
While all these things are beautiful and interesting to view
Neither one of them are even half as beautiful as you

I still remember where we met and  where we used to go
We both had simple beginnings we didn't need too much dough
They call me the simple nerd but you are a real brainiac
I could fix a computer but you could soup up a Pontiac
I could tour Dublin City and very soon have lifelong pals
Or take a guided gondola on Venice's love canals
I am sure in all those foreign travels I'd meet someone new
But I don't want someone else I just want to be back with you

I did not get good value on any continental trains
I do not understand the Germans, the Finnish or the Danes
When I went to Africa I could not get rid of this sorrow
Even when I went to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro
I've been once to Disney World and I've been twice to Disneyland
And I have gone to Sicily to see Mount Etna first hand
I think I have been everywhere and there's not much more to do
I wish when I was in all those places I was there with you

Openness © Tony Fallon081518

Openness © Tony Fallon081518

Openness means you must be unbiased honest and frank
Prepared to listen to the moderate and the crank
Tolerate the well meaning but loudly outspoken
And give solace to the ones who are heartbroken
Openness goes hand in hand with visibility
Even when you appear to be dealing with futility
Real honest openness in adults rarely exists
It's certainly not on the top of their attitude lists
Openness is like an ever ending flow
You wind up telling more than others need to know
One great ability is to listen and take heed
Even though we may have totally disagreed
Different ideas do not cause irritations
And never lead us to hysterical confrontations
There may be an idea in the wildest point of view
But we can't say it's false until we prove it's untrue
We must learn not to criticize the ignorant
And realize we are all made a little different
Truth and honesty is the companion of the young
They do not think at all before they use their tongue
Openness means that nothing is ever hidden
Yet to reveal family secrets should be forbidden
Some family secrets should never be revealed
Whatever happens at home should always stay concealed
Family secrets could cause the greatest ridicule 
Especially by cruel students at the local school.
I guess openness and realism are closely related
Not everybody accepts them without being aggravated

Bad Love © Tony Fallon081319

Bad Love © Tony Fallon081319  

Bad love any day is really a sad fate of a stairs
This happens to couples who are no longer pairs
Somebody has been burning both candles ends with some friends
And that is how many a solid relationship ends
Somebody will surely get the short end of the stick
She has met a macho man or he met a cute chick
They tried so valiantly to keep the old romance bagged
I know well once they should have zig ged when they Zag ged
Some mornings at the workplace for food they have to forage
They did not get home early enough for the oat porridge
When people are out that late they are up to no good
And it is useless saying that they are misunderstood
Sweet words in the ear will never ease a worried mind
On the odd nights they arrive home to relax and unwind
The guilty is happy the innocent lies unmated
With a broken heart and an ego that is deflated
This home wrecker has taken a precious possession
Your lying cheating flirter made one huge impression
People who believe this pipe dream must be very naive
Who can say in five years they won't pack up again and leave

Ten Years ago© Tony Fallon081218

Ten Years ago© Tony Fallon081218

She said "I don't love you any more Johnny" and slammed down the phone
I came to conclude that night I'd probably be sleeping alone
Minutes later she was on again saying "you didn't put out the trash
You were also supposed to leave a credit card or three hundred cash"
This is the way things were shaping up five days after the honeymoon
Ten years ago after a fiery romance and a big wedding in June
I loved her big blue eyes her rosy cheeks and her flaming red Irish hair
She had a real Irish temper and with the best of men she could swear

The apartment was furnished with many castaways and hand me downs
And to furnish it to look fairly modern we had two thousand pounds
To try to accomplish this” angry wife” had taken off an extra week
Most of our stuff barely functioned it was very old but not antique
I sent her a text saying if she had cooled down and wanted to talk
She had better pick up the phone when I called at eleven o'clock
I said "if this is going to work you must have a little trust
Go over to the sideboard and pick up John F Kennedy's bust"

Well when she came back to the phone she was as sweet as apple pie
And she told me she didn't hate me anymore long before we said goodbye
She must have meant what she said because for dinner there was steak
And she kept asking for forgiveness for the morning's big mistake
She had gone to many furniture stores and opened up accounts
And found one down on Talbot Street that gave newly weds discounts
So I suggested she buy as much as she could from that store
And we'd continue to make love on the mattress on the floor

The store brought the furniture and a gift of dishes and knives
We often looked back on that bump as we moved on with our lives
The years have gone by quickly and we never had a major glitch
We managed to buy a house but I don't think we'll ever be rich
We have two lovely daughters each as lovely and smart as their mother
And I am the happiest man we are going to have another
Now I do love my daughters dearly and we have a whole lot of fun
But there's an awesome lot of other things a man can do with a son

My Neighbor © Tony Fallon 081118

My Neighbor © Tony Fallon 081118

I met a man the other day he called me a muse
I told him firmly I didn't like his verbal abuse
That most of my new poems were from my own themes
And many of my others were from my own dreams 
All of my love stories brought me both joy and stress
And some of my poems have done well in contests
I never insult anyone I may be confused
But I rarely use words that make people feel abused
But there are always begrudges to knock good men down
And now I have found one who lives here in my home town
He didn't wait for more comments as down the road he fled
I heard him loudly muttering and shaking his head

Antonyms © Tony Fallon 081018

Antonyms © Tony Fallon 081018

On this poem I started out with 27 sets .of Antonyms or opposites.

I used 13 I used the 13 at the end of every even numbered line and

Filled in the rest. A tough assignment if I say so myself.

John asked how much it would cost for a fence and gate
I told him two hundred was my EXACT ESTIMATE 
John said am I to assume that's just a layman's guess
If you do the job and its three I'll be in a FINE MESS
I could tell from his attitude me he was dismissing
Somehow my hard earned money would be FOUND MISSING
I said you don't expect me to do the work for free
If I don't get paid my pockets will be FULLY EMPTY
I said maybe if we changed the fence combination
By using plastic instead a GENUINE IMITATION
The plastic is not as durable that is my belief
If cattle broke in you would be saying GOOD GRIEF
You would be saying the job was cheap and crummy
And that I treated you like an INTELLIGENT DUMMY
I could tell by his unpleasant Facial expression 
That he was not a pupil of PASSIVE AGGRESSION
I said if you don't like my ideas try Mr Buckley
I could see the end result might be PRETTY UGLY
I did not need to work on his wire or plastic fence
Two or three is practically the SAME DIFFERENCE
I can walk away from this with my self esteem
I may be tempted to let off a SILENT SCREAM
I'm not sure he had cash he might have to borrow
And if he didn't payback it would be SWEET SORROW
I might have to send out my truck to have it seized
If that happened I would not be TERRIBLY PLEASED

The Hurt Inside © Tony Fallon080918

The Hurt Inside © Tony Fallon080918

The hurting heart can be rougher than some broken bones
Even duller on you than the pain of kidney stones
Most bones will repair some time but the heart is tender 
It may seen endless to you regardless of gender
If the love you felt for someone was deep and intense
And they fell for another you are now in suspense
There were no indications no squabbles or no fights
You are still in love but wounded like a deer in lights
Even on the best of days you feel lost and distressed
On the real bad days you are tired sad and depressed
You realize how easily you were led astray
How quickly they packed their belongings and moved away
It's almost like a bold of lightning out of the blue
Found guilty for some reason without any review
You do not even know if there was a crime at all
If there was an issue you can not seem to recall
The hurt is like a prisoner in your mind and heart 
The key is thrown away and you are falling apart
As weeks go by with no contact nothing is resolved 
You do not even know if the marriage is dissolved

Rock and Roll©TonyFallon 080818

Rock and Roll©TonyFallon 080818

I've been on radio since the seventies this is my fortieth year
I know this is a young man's game but I will never disappear.
I been on many stations spinning discs LP's singles and tapes
They have Audacity running which shows the sound in wavy shapes
Since that day I started things have changed so much they now have CD's
I still haven't mastered the IPod but I'm catching up on the mp3's
My show is on the internet so it's heard on Erin's shore
I don't have to send them recorded cassettes for broadcast anymore
You can guess I'm Irish but in the bathtub I'm a secret musician
And sing into the back scratcher like I was at a high class audition
I sing the Irish love songs as well as Kenny Rogers and also soul
But I'm never really grooving until I get into Rock and Roll
You can go through Abba to the Zombies with so much talent in between
And songs like Hold your hand Rock around the clock and Dancing Queen
Who can forget legends like Elvis Jerry Lee and of course Bill Haley
Twisting with Chubby and tiptoeing with Tiny Tim and his ukulele
Who can forget the mop heads from Liverpool nicknamed the lads
Who got their Irish sounding names from their very Irish Dads?
Rory Gallagher Buddy Holly Chuck Berry all had God's gifts
They with Prince Atkins and Perkins played incredible riffs
Names that will live forever are Clapton Hendrix and Bowie
And the leader of the Ramones I think his name was Joey
That era brought us the likes of Ringo, Rod, Neil and Billy Joel
Orbison, Dylan, Cosby Stills Nash and Young and Nat King Cole
Who cannot get high as Mick Jagger sings about getting no Satisfaction?
If I smoked the stuff he did I'd probably have a different reaction
One time our elders thought Rock and Roll was fatally hurt 
After the wild weekend of drugs and music in the Woodstock dirt
But Rock and Roll did not go away in fact it continued to thrive
It's rumored death was premature and it still continues to survive
The era combined the best of singer's musicians and writing
I think we were lucky to have lived though years so exciting
No matter how long I make this poem there will surely be omissions
There will not be another era with such talented musicians.