Christmas Long Ago© 2019TonyFallon1206

Christmas Long Ago© 2019TonyFallon1206 

I guess there's a reason Christmas comes at the end of the year 
The days are short and cold and almost everybody needs cheer
Good cheer for many of the children would be a Christmas tree of pine 
But many an old fellow would be looking for whisky or wine 
All of the little girls would be expecting cute and cuddly toys 
While the boys would be looking for cap guns that made lots of noise
My mother planned the gift giving based on the grocers Christmas box 
And if any grocers did not respond she reacted with shock 
Everybody would be looking forward to a fruity Gateau cake 
If she was lucky enough and got three then she wouldn't have to bake 
That was the time they send New Zealand butter from the land down under 
Maybe it was margarine they were selling us. That I often wonder 
Do you remember the flour we got and looked at the cake with disgust?
With a streak that looked a lot like plastic inside the bottom crust 
If we got holly with berries, we pretended it was mistletoe 
We got it on the Murray's tree in Scregg it was the only place it would grow 
The days before Christmas were filled with all kinds of painting and preparation 
My father would be coming home from England we'd all meet him at the station 
He always had a big bag of toys from Manchester or Liverpool 
The first question he asked all us children was how we were doing in school 
He left school when he was twelve but wanted us to get a good education 
He wasn't long in Farmore school but he could write and do multiplication 
When we were young, we got cap guns and pistols I once got building blocks 
When I stopped believing in Santa Clause, I used to get shirts and socks
When it came to meat for the holidays my mother never went shopping 
She reared big turkeys so if you had a goose and a chicken, she was swapping 
My mother would experiment while cooking with cinnamon and nutmeg 
I can never forget the taste at Christmas of a roasted gooses leg 
Sure, my mother cooked at stations in your mouth her food would melt 
When she'd finally let you up from her table, you'd have to open your belt 
For the next few days there were games of skill and chance maybe even crafts 
And we'd have a family tournament to see who was best at draughts 
On the ring board on the back door brother Brian often put on shows 
It was many a time he scored fifty-one with five overhand throws 
Our door had no locks and friends and neighbors often came rambling 
And playing twenty-five for six pence wasn't considered serious gambling 
This went on day and night almost daily from Christmas to New Year's Day 
A sadness was creeping into the house our father would be going away 
Those are some of the great days I remember when our family enjoyed Yule 
I'll borrow a word from a different generation and say they were "cool".

TheDecember Snow©2019TonyFallon1201

TheDecember Snow©2019TonyFallon1201

We were promised a big snow storm on December first
I know it did no good but many grown up people cursed
We know the snow is coming and our town won't be spared
Yet there's always something undone or not properly repaired
It was supposed to begin at three according to the chart
But by one O'clock it was heavy it couldn't wait to start
They said the storm did much damage far west of the Great Lakes
It came down the Catskill Mountains first in little flakes
But even the tiniest flakes can so quickly multiply
And soon there were a million more falling from the sky
They were joined by many other flakes who were not so small
There were many inches clogging all the roads by nightfall
This was constantly heavy not just occasional showers
And I'm sure we got six inches during the daylight hours
But it didn't stop it continued through evening into night
This was a major storm with no immediate end in sight
Quickly the highways were covered as was driveway asphalt
People were out with shovels and blowers others spreading salt
They say it could go on until Tuesday depth more than a score
I'll be cleaning for hours on the sidewalk in front of my store
Children love great big snowfalls they never are opposed
They listen to the radio to hear if the schools are closed

A sad Christmas©2019TonyFallon1126

A sad Christmas©2019TonyFallon1126

An ox in a stable, and a new born male
Safely inside from the wet, snow and hail 
The warm breath of a lone cow, keeps him warm
While wise men follow a star, afar in the storm

Born so humbly, in an animal's manger
No room at the Inn, for Joseph the stranger

The baby grew up, to preach and to heal
"Peace on this earth”, was his one big appeal

Is two thousand years, not enough to ask it?
Why is a young man's body, in a casket?
He may be white or black, brown or yellow
Rodriguez, Burton, Lee, Wong or Costello
Many brave men were lost in Vietnam
Too many more trying, to topple Saddam
Are those young men, fighting for high ideals?
Or dying for cheap gas, for big automobiles
Or are they just numbers, risking their necks
So old men in high places, can get big fat checks
Recruited and when trained, sent to do battle
No freer today, than Cesar's slave chattel
Soldiers supposed to follow, every order
Even if it means crossing, some other border

The child in the manger, though we'd be his disciples
Alas, the children he loves are shot down by rifles
It's as if his gentle message, was never conveyed
And of those who have heard it, few have obeyed
If we promote the bomb and gun, and keep them on hand
If you think it's OK to kill, then you don't understand
Many previous activists, now have a passive voice
And many everywhere, have no reason or season to rejoice

TheBluEyedBlonde©2019TonyFallon1113

TheBluEyedBlonde©2019TonyFallon1113

Do you remember our years together when we were both teens?
Before you went to London town and I headed out to Queens
You must have gotten blinded by the bright city light
I never heard from you even thought you swore you would write
My mother would talk about you when she would mail a letter
Saying you didn't write your mother either and that upset her
It’s so hard to keep a romance going from far across the pond
especially if the girl is a pretty blue eyed Mayo blonde

But sure the life we all led in Ireland was so conflicting
The religious upbringing almost didn't want the sexes mixing
When some teenagers like us got work and money they blew off steam
It was implied by my mother that you went to the far extreme
You would not send your parents the number of your mobile phone
And they worried sick about you being in London all alone

It’s so hard to keep a romance going from far across the pond
especially if the girl is a pretty blue eyed Mayo blonde

I remember the first Friday night in New York I lost the pledge
After the first week digging sewer lines with the shovel and sledge
I woke up the next morning with my clothes on in a helpless state
And was informed later that day I had been helped home by my mate.
I spent most of that Saturday on my bed room floor feebly sprawled
and went so often to the bathroom my aunt Mary was appalled

It’s so hard to keep a romance going from far across the pond
especially if the girl is a pretty blue eyed Mayo blonde

London sights must have been remarkable for a girl of eighteen
The weekends full of dancing was far better than the Mayo scene
No more ceili dancing for this fun loving beauty from Pontoon
And I'm sure there were many fine lads in the Irish saloon
Since third class in the national school you I always admired
Then as the teen years went onward it was you I most desired

It’s so hard to keep a romance going from far across the pond
especially if the girl is a pretty blue eyed Mayo blonde

It’s no good talking about old times it’s about now I'm concerned
I have this empty feeling in my heart and I think I've been spurned
You’ll have plenty of friends to tag along while you spend your assets
And I will be over here with only memories and regrets
Friends will help you spend your money total strangers will do the same
Have so many friends last night and today they will not know your name

It’s so hard to keep a romance going from far across the pond
especially if the girl is a pretty blue eyed Mayo blonde

TheDucks©2019TonyFallon1109

TheDucks©2019TonyFallon1109

I gazed out the kitchen window pane
The sink was full of dirty dishes
The full winter moon had just arose
On the other side of the lake
The wild ducks were bottom eating
Heads feeding asses up in the air
Two shots rang out behind the stone wall
And the ones surviving flew away
The dogs were in the water in a flash
Bringing back tomorrow's dinner
Divided there's no loser or winner
Each one headed home with his stash
Saying Goodnight to all and hurray
Now there will be meat and soup for all
And for the dogs a fairly decent share 
Of bones and skin after the seating
Plenty of eating on the big drake
Now the dogs can relax and repose
I wonder if the shots stunned the fishes
And they were disturbed in their domain

Most people won’t spot the rhyme here

1/20.2/19 3/18 all the way to 10/11

AloneAgain(ofcourse)©2019TonyFallon1105.

AloneAgain(ofcourse)©2019TonyFallon1105.

I didn't feel like eating at home but all eating places were shut
There were no lights on in McDonald's or in the new Pizza Hut
Since you are not here anymore I don't consider this a home
My heart is broken in two or three I have the love sick syndrome

When the clock goes off at eight many mornings I am so annoyed
Places we used to hang out in for breakfast I try to avoid
The days all seem so dull and boring but much better than the night
Because I dream my world is about to end and wake up in fright

Adding to my feelings of misery the clock has been put back
And now by four thirty each evening it's almost totally black
There are so many more dark and dull hours to suffer until dawn
And from the social life around me I have totally withdrawn

Tonight I just lay there for hours in my bed but just turned and tossed
Went out driving aimlessly a female trooper thought I was lost
I told her why I was plan less she said the answer was prayer
She said she had two chocolate doughnuts and was willing to share

She said that feeling sorry for oneself was no way illegal
And that if it was she'd be writing tickets to many people
She said she surely knew where I lived on the corner of Jerome
And to keep me safe she would follow me with no light on the dome

So now I'm upstairs alone once more and I have started weeping
There's very little chance that tonight there will be any sleeping 
Thank God I have assignments tomorrow to keep my mind involved
instead of brooding alone about this romance that is dissolved.

Going home © 2019TonyFallon1103

Going home © 2019TonyFallon1103

I would like to land in Shannon one early summer morn
And take a rented car back to the village where I was born
Sadly the house I was born in has long since been torn down
Many neighbors are in exile or moved to Roscommon town

The roads are not gravel anymore as they have been tarred
And the acreage my father had is owned a man named Gerard
There is no more rick of turf they have oil and electric power
And they have hot and cold water for the bathtub or the shower

There's no more horses out there plowing up the Irish soil
And more cattle than sheep on the farm once owned by Sean Doyle
There are no more ponies and traps taking people to mass
And there is no water in the lake for the swans in Ballyglass

No one knows where is the mass rock, or the holy water font 
That was at St Bridgids holy well in the village of my aunt
It is many long years now since they held a pattern for the saint
Doing the rosary on the road would be considered quaint

I know the ass the genet and the mule have almost disappeared 
But there are plenty of sheep there and they have to be sheared
I don't think there are gramophones on the kitchen table
They have joined the whole wide world with TV's hooked up to cable

The two shops that sold food and in the parish no longer exist
They threatened to close the school but the post office is surely missed
We always shared a priest with St John's and it' too late to complain
Miley's hall closed long, long ago so there's no place to entertain

Our parish church was small, very old and had no bell or steeple
So the angelus bell was never heard by our parish people
There were no railroad tracks daily trains or any railroad station
And there were never buses or other public transportation

n my day we had pounds shillings and pence then known as sterling
And on Sunday you played games of handball football or hurling
If you ever played soccer or rugby by the GAA you'd be banned
That was a strict rule in every county growing up in Ireland

I've been around the world a bit I seen Khrushchev Bush and Nixon 
And in the Christmas parade I've seen Rudolph Dancer and Blixen
But if I had a decent plot and a million dollars of pay
I'd build a big house in Barnacullen and never go away

Diminished Love©2019TonyFallon1102

Diminished Love©2019TonyFallon1102

Love is contagious but lost love is hard to heal
It can cause you more teardrops than an onion peel
Lost love is a feeling which makes you feel afraid
And if it is not your fault then you feel betrayed 
How oft has she forgiven and made the sacrifice
Because she thought loving you would be paradise
Is this was the paradise you had so long sought
So you cannot go through life feeling this distraught 
Is this the kind of woman that you greatly admire?
Is she the lady you tried so hard to acquire?
If this is the love of your life you must reconcile
Bring a bunch of flowers she may not be so hostile

LostLove© 2019TonyFallon1028

LostLove© 2019TonyFallon1028

I felt our love would never fall apart

When first we became involved

I really thought you were first prize

And my concerns were all solved

There are as many cracks in my heart

As there are red flowers on this tree

And as many teardrops in my eyes

As there are waves on the Irish Sea

TheSwallow©2018TonyFallon0218 Slightly Revised 10/26/2019

TheSwallow©2018TonyFallon0218
Slightly Revised 10/26/2019

In the cold of October 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 leafless trees or in the sullen sky
The winter sure is on its way I wish it was June or July
The neighbors talk of temperature and their aches and pains
If they had more money they could fly to Florida on planes
I remember how much fun we had together in the summer
You just appeared one day in my store you were a newcomer
You were like a breath of fresh air and we both could compose
We sat by the river and read each other poetry and prose
Yet in my heart I somehow knew you would get the urge to leave
You are so like the birds and bees I honestly believe
My heart feels like the apple all broken on the cold ground
I just need plenty of time alone to soothe this unseen wound.
You are not at all like the trees you are more like the fruits
I don't think you and I will ever set down loving 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 flying in the sky you have to be free
I realize I'm a silly old man with a young man's notions
You are one of a kind but I will not change your emotions
Maybe just maybe you'll come back in spring relaxed and unstressed
and like a returning swallow seek me for your summer nest.

Carrowkeel, (C) Tony Fallon

Carrowkeel By Tony Fallon.

Goldsmith had a way with words

Whether writing of the sky or birds

His village was deserted or so he said

I cannot quarrel with him he is dead.

I once knew a village just like that

It teemed with fowl dog and cat

Houses with thatch it had only three

But they had special meaning for me

In one was born Maimie Groarke, my mother

And Pat Groarke the runner lived in another.20

In the third were the Daly’s with four lovely nieces

Who broke the local boy’s hearts in pieces

Through this village we all had to pass

When walking to the post office school or mass

It had a holy well the water was always cool,

We drank it often on our way from school

The grownups drank it too when they were sick

The one who brought it couldn’t talk even for a tick

It had a font and on it water we did place

They said the image on it was St Brigid’s face.20

We were told not to remove it not to even try

‘Cause if it was stolen the well would soon go dry.

The first week of August was a rare occasion

We went to this village on vacation

My uncle and aunt had a big white horse

I always wanted to ride him of course.

Long summer days we helped save the hay

Or helped with the thrasher on an autumn day

What you did at night was not a major decision

There was no electricity so there was no television30

The men went hunting rabbits with a carbide lamp

Whether the weather was warm or damp

While the women squeezed butter from the churn

And made sure the currant cake didn’t burn

Later stories were told around the fire all night

For those were the days before electric light

We learned checkers or cards from our hosts,

And were badly frightened by tales of ghosts.

Often if enough ramblers did arrive,

The adults might play poker or twenty-five,40

We children weren’t allowed to make a sound

As the pot might often be more than a pound.

‘Twas many a poor farmer lost a fiver or tenner

Another might win a goose for Sunday dinner.

Risky playing meant you went home broke

Without the price of a drink or a Woodbine smoke

The next morning we might be wishing,

We wouldn’t have to work but instead go fishing

We didn’t look forward to the shovel or spade

But we never refused Cidona or Lucozade.50

A little bit of work gave us an awful thirst

And we’d drink Cidona ‘til we nearly burst.

The shop was near oh what a dream

We were sometimes treated to ice cream

I didn’t even have a bicycle but they had a car

They took me for drives near and far

Then I don’t know if they used the word groovy

But that’s how I felt when in town for a movie.

When I grew up I went over the foam

And every so often I’d go back home60

The houses are all down not a sign of a shed

And all who lived there are now dead

Cattle graze where once there was tillage.

It’s just a town land now its no longer a village

No more I heard the curlews cry

Or watched the pigeons feed or fly.

Never more we’ll hunt the wren

Or see the cows come home again.

No more I’ll see a goose or duck

And in the field no tractor or truck70

There’s no sign of a plow

A pig bonham or sow.

There’s no hen to lay eggs

There’s no clothesline with pegs.

No potatoes are sowed

No meadows are mowed

No vegetables could I see

Where is the old apple tree?

There no meow and no bark

And I didn’t hear the lark.

And since there is no house,

What happened to the mouse?

I couldn’t hear the sound of a cricket,

Or hear rabbits run through a thicket.

There was no sign or a ewe or a ram

No more roasting the tail of the lamb.

No bullocks or calves in the rusty old pen

I didn’t see one gosling or a guinea hen

The well is fenced in by barbed wire

There’s no turf in the garden for a fire.90

I couldn’t hear the bleat of a lamb

Or see fruit for strawberry jam.

I had no interest in counting the stock

I didn’t have to hide from a turkey cock.

There’s was no sign of a donkey or horse

And there are no people and that’s even worse.

There’s was no sign at all of the customs of yore

There’s no friendly face no welcome door.

There’s been a lot of changes over the years,

And it won’t be changed back by my tears.100

Yes when I leave there I always feel so sad

Cause of all it meant to me as a lad.

I can’t help it that’s just how I feel.

Whenever I visit Carrowkeel.