Halloween© Tony Fallon 103118

Halloween© Tony Fallon 103118

I've been living for a few years in this little Cairo community
I'd like to talk to local children if I had the opportunity
I think my little speech would be about selfishness and greed
And what some one or two did last year a rather nasty deed

You see I close my store early while they are trick or treating
So I cannot be always there to exchange a welcome greeting
I'd leave a bucket outside with a sign saying "help yourself"
I would then come back later and put the bucket back on the shelf

Well last year at five o'clock I put out six pounds of candy
And left them on the front porch which was convenient and handy
I went to get some groceries in the store once owned by Slater
And arrived back at my own store about fifteen minutes later

I'm nearly sure when I went on the porch I silently said f*** *t
There was not even one piece of candy left in my little bucket

This year I'll still put out candy and hope children can control their lust
I know that the vast majority will act moderately I trust
Still if you come by my store this evening and the bucket is unfilled
You'll be standing on the very spot where the golden goose got killed

Halloween Long Ago© TonyFallon 103018

Halloween Long Ago© TonyFallon 103018

I remember nineteen sixty two I was just past eighteen
And I had a secret date with a lovely girl named Pauline
Her father didn't like me at all so together we couldn't be seen
It was a cold and chilly winter's night it was also Halloween

In the field in front of the graveyard was a fine big cock of hay
There was also many cut down trees to sit on so that's where we'd stay
We were too wise not to think any ghost was usually a faker
Sure the scariest man I ever met was Jim Smith the undertaker

We stayed on the far side of the hay because we weren't supposed to be smoking
There was nothing too serious going on we were just codding and joking
I asked Pauline what would happen if a passerby saw two cigarette coals
They'd be telling every one next day about the two red eyes on some souls.

Every so often we'd hear a yahoo from some gobshite throwing cabbage
That was a crazy custom we held onto from the days when we were savage
At home I'm sure the young brothers and sisters were bobbin for an apple
While my mother was longing for them to go to bed to be up in the morning for chapel

One of us must have been careless when we threw away a cigarette butt
But nobody knew we were there and both of us kept our mouths shut
The cock of hay was soon engulfed in fire the flame could be seen for miles
I send Pauline home and began stacking the nearby wood into piles

Well the fire caused a great commotion that it should happen on such a night
And nobody there would go near the graveyard so late without so much light
The incident is talked about to this very day and brought on the parish gloom
Somebody swore they saw an old woman dressed in black fly away on a broom

All I know is Pauline and I never came under the slightest suspicion
Since nobody asked us any questions we didn't have to make any admission
She got out of the field as fast as she could and didn't get burned or stressed
And everybody still thinks it was the witch lit it and you know I think that's best

The incident has been talked about for decades and has now become folklore
And people come from miles away to see the witch and stay there until four
Pauline and I reminisce if we confessed I doubt we be in any trouble
But some people also believe in a Lough Ness monster so why burst their bubble

The Hurricane ©TONYFALLON102818

The Hurricane ©TONYFALLON102818

We had a hurricane in July

it really was the wildest

They said the worst was outside the eye

I swear it was the loudest

The weather outside was horrid

The wind was fast and loud

It was so hot it was torrid
and the willows they were bowed

Clouds were like they’d been unchained

Racing madly onward

Only by a mountain could they be contained

On their journey forward

The wind came in at a hundred and ten

With gusts sometimes faster

It scared both women and men

We were headed for disaster

Very soon the clouds parted

And the rain came down unchecked

It was not a day for the faint hearted

As many sheds were being wrecked

Onward, onward still it blew

Each moment more frightening

Blew away the table and the barbecue

Thunder rolled with lightening

There was too much new water for the river

And it over flowed its banks

As I looked on this catastrophe I began to shiver

It tore down the walk bridge and swept away the planks

Onward, onward sped the water it was on the road

Traffic was stopped by a fire truck

Still the river never slowed

And the road was filled with muck

I heard glass breaking I could not ignore

The trailer of my neighbor had been hit broadside

It had been parked by in laws on the plot next door

Thank God they were in Florida it was not occupied

The eye passed through yet we had concern

 For an hour practically nothing stirred

We knew this was a respite and it would return

But we had a chance to assess the damaged we’d incurred.

This storm had been so early it had not been named

But on the run though it had been so vicious

By the mountains it had been tamed

Yet in a short time it acted so officious

Nature can be kind nature can be cruel

A hurricane in July surely is her warning

That we are abusing fossil fuel

This town was ruined by morning

The man who built this dwelling

Must have been a fool

Or not good at foretelling

My basement had enough water for a swimming pool

We had often been chastised

Not to chance our life and limb

Safe places had been organized

The water might get so high that we’d have to swim.

The Dream©TonyFallon102818

The Dream©TonyFallon102818

Each morning for one week 
You've come to me in a dream
You smile but you do not speak
I was scared but resisted a scream
You open my door without a knock
You always come about five O'clock
You are totally dressed in black
In a pants and sweater
You do not undress 
We do not caress

You have a case which you don't unpack

There is no bliss
we do not kiss
then you disappear and life’s no better

Love or Obsess©TonyFallon102718

Love or Obsess©TonyFallon102718

You don't have to love everyone on this earth
But if you love me alone I would not mind
Nor all the people in the land of your birth
I just cannot wait until we are combined

Why would you think of loving any other?
When you know I love you a thousand percent
Is there someone else somewhere you would rather?
That's a person I would profoundly resent

You said my love is much appreciated 
In as much as it often sounds too zealous
My remarks are slightly exaggerated
And sometimes I sound a little bit jealous

The Parents©TonyFallon 102618

The Parents©TonyFallon 102618

There once was a girl I was seriously dating

There was no love from the parents just simple hating
When I'd call on the telephone they'd leave me waiting
After five or six times this became very irritating

There was no love from the parents just simple hating

I could see that from the parents there was little support
For me ever becoming their daughters only consort 
They were protecting her like she was living in a fort
There was little chance of a little loving on their davenport

They were protecting her like she was living in a fort

So I asked her to become engaged I was ready to commit
She mentioned it to her father and she said he threw a fit
And told her if I came round again they'd be reading my obit
That I didn't have a pot to piss in and I was a hypocrite 

And told her if I came round again they'd be reading my obit

Well I held on as long as I could with diminishing hope
I knew the only chance now was if she'd agree to elope
I asked my brother if I could borrow a ladder and a rope
He said "she'll never agree to that I think you are a dope"
I knew the only chance now was if she'd agree to elope

The escapade was like clockwork and we are now in Camden Town
The wedding was in a church and she wore a white wedding gown
A baby is on the way her father has started to come around
He wants his grandchild born in Ireland and not beneath a crown

He wants his grandchild born in Ireland and not beneath a crown

John Brown(Pantoum)©TonyFallon102518

John Brown(Pantoum)©TonyFallon102518

John Brown lives where I can  plainly see
On the other side of the River Lee
He has just celebrated his jubilee
I am in love with his daughter Marie

On the other side of the River Lee
There is a man who once lived over the sea
I am in love with his daughter Marie
And I am afraid that we will disagree

There is a man who once lived over the sea
I am  not prepared to hire a referee
And I am afraid that we will disagree
Even thought I am ready to bend my knee

I am not prepared to hire a referee
Because he appears aloof and carefree
Even though I am ready to bend my knee
He might turn me down there is no guarantee

Because he appears aloof and carefree
He could easily reject my loving plea
He might turn me down there is no guarantee
There might be no honeymoon in the Isle of Capri

He could easily reject my loving plea
He has just celebrated his jubilee
There might be no honeymoon in the Isle of Capri
John Brown lives where I can  plainly see

Not Rhyming©TonyFallon102318

Not Rhyming©TonyFallon102318

To write about a CIRCUS is a waste of time
It gave me ANGST because I could not find a rhyme
Many people say that's FALSE but I'll bet a dime
That MUSIC doesn't have one either and that's a crime

WOMEN is another non rhyming when you compose
But you could use SILVER if you are writing prose
You can put ACRID, FILTH and WASP in any kind of rows
They will not rhyme with any other even if hell froze

WINDOW can cause CHAOS when you decide to write
Looking for a rhyme for WIDTH could waste half the night
If you look for a PURPLE mate chances are slight
You'll not find a rhyme for BULB blown or showing light

BEIGE,CIRCLE and GULF will all stifle your writing style
And cause writer's block to RHYTHM brains that once were fertile
You could try to REPLENISH until you are senile
Or peel an ORANGE and throw all the skins in a pile

Meeting on the Internet©TonyFallon102218

Meeting on the Internet©TonyFallon102218

The entire thing started on face book and I could not pretend
That I wasn't extremely happy you wanted to be my friend
I had seen you in the supermarket packing at great pace
Your little name tag said Rosy the same color as your face
I gave the bagger a dollar and asked if you were attached
He said I had better move my fat ass before you got snatched

So to accept your friend invitation was a welcome chore
Now I was off and running with one of my feet in the door
I'd have to be careful in pursuit and not be an annoyer
In case your father would call the cops and me having no lawyer
I couldn't hang around your work it was the store's regulations
But I found the baggers family were friends for generations 

A few more dollars changed hand and he became the gooseberry
And a blind date was arranged one Thursday night at the library
We talked about our likes and dislikes and you gave me you number
But you said romance took a second seat to adequate slumber
To graduate an A student from High school was your master plan
And if I could faithfully wait that long I would then be your man

That was no difficulty for me there was no one else in sight
And we talked for at least ten minutes on the phone every night
I volunteered to do shopping for everybody on the block
And I did all their shopping before you went home at eight o'clock
Your boss wasn't happy with me and was often in a sullen mood
But never said anything nasty I was selling bags of food

I was proudest at graduation you the Homecoming Queen
Magna Cum Laude the highest scores in the county of Greene
My welding job has no banking hours but I make a nice dollar
And you said you'd rather have me than a jerk with a white collar
There's a garden beside my cottage where we'll sit each afternoon
And admire the roses I have planted when they bloom every June

The Laws of God and Man © Tony Fallon102217

The Laws of God and Man © Tony Fallon102217

The politicians wrote the laws we must live within
That was about ten minutes after God invented sin
God was very clear about not crossing certain lines
To prop up their system politicians then invented fines
Later Moses had to go up to the mountain for two stones
That was long before the invention of mobile telephones
When he came down he had ten new rules to display
Those were Ten Commandments mortals had to obey
All ten of them had to be learned totally by rote
Your teacher told you none of them would ever be rewrote
Of course, if you sinned you still could get absolution
But The Big Ten can’t be amended like the constitution
You may have thought this was not very democratic
Especially if you died in sin your fate was automatic
There can only be one God the one and only genuine boss
Who sent down his only son to be crucified on the cross
How could he throw out his only son and to earth expel
If I was Jesus I’d have asked to speak to personnel
I’ve wandered off my rant I’m slightly off my mission
Taking about the laws of God and man-a terrible imposition
You couldn’t steal or take some other person's life
And you daren’t covet or sleep with someone else’s wife
You couldn’t do anything classified as underhand
Nor go to the Commission to get your neighbors land
You must treat your parents with the greatest respect
And if they whack your little arse you can’t object.
You’ll certainly be going to hell if you don’t act mature
You can never take pleasure from thoughts that are impure
Then the Catholic Church came up five now almost extinct
But to the ten commandments of God, they were clearly linked
They were very specific about Mass and paying your dues
And they’d prefer Confession on a Saturday to drinking booze
Nowhere does it say you can’t play Bingo or gamble in a casino
So I guess you’re not sinning if you bet in OTB or go to Reno
You’d think with all those rules crime would surely decrease
But every budget time there always was a call for more police
Meanwhile, all the politicians go their good old merry ways
And every year they vote themselves a nice big fat raise
And shady things they and friends do they do not question
And feeding at the public trough does not cause any indigestion

Getting Worse ©TonyFallon102218

Getting Worse ©TonyFallon102218

If you have your own opinion that doesn't mean you are a rad
Yet someone will take issue with you then say you are bad
Even though you are cool calm collected and even pensive
Somebody will misunderstand you and become offensive 
Suddenly you have to develop a defensive attitude
Minutes ago you were happy you are now in a lousy mood
You'd think you were condoning a revolution or sedition 
You can make up your mind without somebody else's permission
And you can say what you want without somebody else's consent
Plus if you have stated your opinion you shouldn't have to repent
People are so intolerant they might want you prosecuted 
Then two three or four years down the road have you executed

Waiting ©TonyFallon 102118

Waiting ©TonyFallon 102118

I waited forever for you to say yes
I know I should not exaggerate 
You must find it hard to express

Your answer is as tedious as chess
I did not want to dictate
I waited forever for you to say yes

I am afraid you will digress
And we will never conjugate 
you must find it hard to express

I've bided patiently for progress
my nerves are in an awful state
I waited forever for you to say yes

I'm worried I have to confess
You have got to answer me Kate
You must find it hard to express

For days I've been without a caress
I do not want to berate 
I waited forever for you to say yes
You must find it hard to express

The Leitrim Coast©TonyFallon 102018

The Leitrim Coast©TonyFallon 102018

I remember vey sadly leaving the Leitrim coast
When I was only twenty and Peggy was my treasure
There were many places I would miss but Tullaghan most

The place where I wanted us to be forever together

We'd go to Kinlough for a ride or Bundoran to a dance
We often went down to the sea and walked along the coast
Or discuss going overseas in the summer to maybe France
When you are far away those are times you really miss the most

But the farm was a little boggy and I was not the elder
And the days of splitting up Irish farms has long gone past
That night beneath the moon I said i'd return as I held her
And realized our time together was passing very fast

Four days later in Brooklyn I left home with hob nail boots
With my brother Bill beside me as we headed for a site
I felt self-conscious amidst flowered dresses and striped suits
My brother said we don't know them or they us so it's all right

On the New York building sites the money easily flowed
But the cost of living eats away at the big fat check
When I was back in Leitrim I didn't carry such a heavy load
I was so far up a person on the street looked like a little speck

Peggy is still waiting but now she's working in Dingle
To buy a decent farm in Leitrim is still my big desire
And Peggy is still waiting and we both are still single
I have enough for the house a ring and wedding attire

Unsure © TonyFallon102018 l

Unsure © TonyFallon102018

At work today I was annoyed
Your former ex was just reemployed
Some employers are hard to frighten
And harder still to enlighten

Hire and fire like a carousel
A lack of trainable personnel
While he's known for popularity
And for his lack of sincerity

He had the nerve to mention your name
As a reference, he has no shame
I know for you he still has a lust
But it is not him I have to trust

I do not know why I feel stressed
This should not be a real contest
You have always treated me first rate
He is out of prison on probate

I was serious when I proposed
Even though your parent's opposed
Your future love is most essential
I can't stay here without potential

My first Villanelle © TonyFallon101818

My first Villanelle © TonyFallon101818

When we were a pair we both were true
In your company I felt such desire
We acted like one person and not two

I met you when the grass had morning dew
You looked so pretty in your blue attire
When we were a pair we both were true

Snow was in the air as the cold wind blew
I said lets go and talk beside my fire
We acted like one person and not two

We talked for hours and that morning flew
Your voice sounds like it should be in a choir
When we were a pair we both were true

If you stayed outside you'd have caught the flu
I was hot I was starting to perspire
We acted like one person and not two

I asked if you'd make love and then drink brew
You said it took a long time to inquire
When we were a pair we both were true
We acted like one person and not two

Morning lover©TonyFallon101818

Morning lover©TonyFallon101818

When we were a pair we both were true
You really were a ball of fire
We acted like one person and not two

I met you when the grass had morning dew
When you spoke I knew you sang in the choir
And I was enraptured by your eyes of blue

Snow was in the air as the cold wind blew
I said lets go sit and talk beside my fire
And maybe you would like a little Irish brew

We sat and talked for hours and the morning flew
You told that you were an antique buyer
And you had come back from three weeks in Peru

You also said you were a painter and you drew
Men with clothes and some with no attire
I said the man who’d pose today would get the flu

I asked you if you’d make love to me as it was almost two
And you said it took me a long time to inquire
Later you told me your name was Peggy Sue
And I said you were welcome anytime you’re passing through

The Irish President

The Irish President

Michael D wants to be President
He thinks he deserves it at least twice
There's no taxes no rates and no rent
Michael D wants to be President
He did not always say what he meant
The pleasantries were like paradise
Michael D wants to be President
He thinks he deserves it at least twice

Triolet TF 101818

As my lifespan advances
I frequently have to abstain
I worry about my finances
As my lifespan advances
I cannot change my circumstances
To whom could I possibly complain? 
As my lifespan advances
I frequently have to abstain

Troilets 101618

Why did you leave me? I don’t know

Why did you take my heart?

I thought you were my true beau

Why did you leave me? I don’t know

To my psyche it was a blow

I wonder if we can restart

Why did you leave me? I don’t know

Why did you take my heart?

I knew you were almost unreal

The first time we met

My excitement I could not conceal

I knew you were almost unreal

You were the complete  deal

We could be a set.

I knew you were almost unreal

The first time we met

You always were a politicaster 
Even when you were in your salad days
Nobody else could change his mind faster
You always were a politicaster
For the voters you were a disaster
Even when awake you were in a daze
You always were a politicaster
Even when you were in your salad days

It's time to stop buying Chinese Plastic
And buy some real American goods
Chinese plastic is no way fantastic
It's time to stop buying Chinese Plastic
I would never want to sound sarcastic
Just make them out of our abundant woods
It's time to stop buying Chinese Plastic
And buy some real American goods

The Hood© TonyFallon 101518

The Hood© TonyFallon 101518

I first came to America during the civil rights campaign
The poor were angry and organizing and I could feel their pain
While there were no deaths here but they were dying in southern states
They just wanted some action they were tired of dead end debates
My first job was deep in the South Bronx a rather scary place
The housing the poor were living in was an American disgrace
My friends asked if I was afraid to work or if I was uptight
But I only worked there in daylight I did not volunteer for night
Most areas of the South Bronx burned to the ground I was often scared
While you could feel the anger smoldering our part never flared

I never will forget Martin Luther King his death was pure evil
But the poor did not riot in New York everybody acted civil
I worked in three other boroughs and then one day my heart sank
They sent me to the South Bronx again to work for Chemical Bank
In the years I was there I was neither robbed or assaulted
And while there were shortages I was never personally faulted
Then I worked for a furniture store with bargains in great supply
I was now in the Brooklyn Hood which is known as Bedford Sty 
The economic side was better and the Blacks were being employed
Then we had a blackout and many businesses were almost destroyed

I bought a house in Jamaica which is considered the Queens Hood
I owned it for forty years and the neighbors and I got on real good
The drugs have come into all the Hoods and young lives are destroyed
And once you are sentenced to time in jail you may not be employed
The drug lords have left the Hoods in almost total paralysis
And the sick are lucky if they get some kind of analysis
Avenues have opened up so all qualify for any occupation
And there is no question on the application to see if you're Caucasian
There are great people in the Hood who want hope serenity and peace
And they don't want to be wakened every morning by the sound of police

School Days ©TonyFallon101418

School Days ©TonyFallon101418

You and I probably would have sat together in the same class
But I was from Barnacullen and you were born in Ballglass
When I heard you had to go to Ballymurray I thought I'd perish
I had to go to Rahara a completely different parish
We were both Catholic families but our church was not yours
And to this day in the twenty first century this practice still endures
I often attended your mass but you never came to hear our priest
The only time your relatives came was when someone was deceased
We lived next door to each other and I could not fully comprehend
How an imaginary line decides which school neighbor's kids attend
Your father went to Rahara School the same time as my mother
And my grandfather was in the same class as your granny's brother
On further investigation I found out the parents still had a choice
You could be sent to either school but their teachers were considered nice.
I knew more children in your school district than I did in my own
And we continued those friendships when we were all fully grown
So out of a generation no Ballyglass children ever attended
Now your village's students attending Rahara has completely ended
Some of the parents had gone to the school and stayed for graduation
But would not send their own children without a change of administration
Of course by going to Ballymurray you children's journey was all road
And you didn't have to cross Kelly's farm like us where the river overflowed

Gone © Tony Fallon 101117

Gone © Tony Fallon 101117

I often sit here and cry
Since the day you said goodbye
Nothing that I do gives me delight
Things sure are not the same
And I oft call out your name
When I dream in the middle of the night

I still remember everything you wore
As you said goodbye then walked out the door
One moment here the next moment gone
I wanted to give you your space
I didn’t think you’d leave without a trace
And I thought that you would return by the dawn

What terrible words did I say?
That made you go away
Without a single word of reply
I wish you would stop by and explain
You know I wouldn’t force you to remain
I have never cheated and I never told a lie

I never will forget
That first day we met
In Shea to see the Mets and Yankees play
It was called the Subway Series
But I have my own theories
It was fate that brought us there that day

I asked you if the seat was taken
Or if somehow I was mistaken
I could not believe one so beautiful would be alone
You were a Yankee fan I was for the Mets
When the day was over I had no regrets
I was so shy I almost didn’t ask for your phone

Remember days we spent
On a mountain in a tent
As we sang love songs beneath the stars
We sang about the Okie from Muscokie
In the Shamrock on the Karaoke
Then sang rebel songs at other Irish bars

There is so much about you that I miss
Having you beside me was real bliss
But still, I thank the Lord for being blessed
Love can grow from a chance meeting
Yet even true love can also be fleeting
You see I know I‘ve somehow lost the very best.