What if

What if

The Mayo Game 32226

 The Mayo Game Tony Fallon

Before last Sunday they gave us no chance at all

But by the time the game was over we had beaten Domegal

Next Sunday in Mayo we want to be the underdog

The weather may not be good but I hope there is no fog

We know they have experience and the home field

But to weather and home field the Rosie's do not yield

From the goalie to the forwards no passes must go astray

And leave the whole Mayo team in complete disarray 

May they be firing on all cylinders from the very start

And show the whole country the Rossis Constant Heart

All we need from Donegal or Kerry is just one loss

Then it's  on to Croke Park to show them who's  boss

Will it be Smith Murtagh or Hand who is the top shooter?

So we are well ahead before we hear the hooter

 

Psycosis tony fallon3926

 A friend said I'm psycotic that really made me mad

I had a panic attack now I  feel so sad

I've  gone through life with many ups and downs

I often feel anxiety in both. bIig cities and small towns

When at football games they go into a huddle

I think they are talking about me and I want to cuddle

I don't  do well in relationships I have no girlfriend

I wish those voices in my head would come to an end

I  really am an introvert i could never be a comic

And I  have no real friends not even platonic

This amateur analysis really has me stressed

It's just another problem to get off my chest

RWR put on the pressure by requesting another poem

That's OK because I'm  so stressed I'm afraid to leave my home

The storm by Tony Fallon 3226

 The storm left the east coast just before sunrise

And in the afternoon hit Rosscommon with surprise

The wind blowing from Athlone caused great confusion

And scores came against us in great profusion

The score was so one sided we had a slim chance

For they were playing like the rugby team from France

The finaĺ result was a bit of a let down

Only worse it should happen in Roscommon town

Those points lost we can't  recoup

For the Donegal game we must regroup

The manager now faces a tough decision

But we are staying in the first division

In April on a brand new trip you will embark

And we will all be waiting in NY's Gaelic Park

May it be the first leg of a trip to Croke Park

Don't taĺk listenTony Fallon 3326

 If you ask a girl to shut up and concentrate

Yo I  might as well tell her that she's overweight

No girl wan̈ts to be accused of being windy

For if she didn't talk you might think her head was empty

Not everyone takes this advice with warning

So you'd better find another girlfriend in the morning

The lesson shall be you shut up and pay attention

If you just listen and there will be less tension

The Galway Game by Tony Fallon 22326

It was a cold any windy evening in Salthill town

Fog was in the air and the rain was lashing down

We knew lady luck was absent when we n Galway won the toss

And even our loyal fans knew we faced a possible loss 

Our lads moved quickly and were soon  two points ahead

But Galway soon  made us realize  they weren't dead

The rest of the half they had our backs to the wall

And poor Brady was tired of kicking out the ball

In the second Galway scored two as the pitch was getting mucky

Now thirteen ahead they were about to become unlucky

The boys in blue and gold were not to be denied

Their scores kept rolling like the incoming tide

Even though there were no breaks in wind or weather

They were like champions all pulling together

To get ahead on points was their only goal

And they went about that last with heart and soul

They scored one point here and another there

The score kept. rising then a few goals with flair

The last goal left the home crowd stunned

And they suddenly realized they were outgunned

The game is now controlled by a computer

Far away in New York I was so glad to hear the hooter

The game will long because spoke n about near and far

Just like when Aiden Brady pulled down the crowbar

In that other game with Galway below in Castlebar,

Kimi

 Some want tradition by praying for snowflakes

While others have excess from the great lake

so much snow it wss impossible topassand 

lifes lost at christmas despite dire forecasts

The warm spring days will soon be here

The love awakening time of yhe year

When hearts are filled with hopeful warmth

And the snowbirds are heading north

All look healthty in their winter tans

In their new aircondioned sedans

The one I'm looking for is Kimmi

Making her way north from Miami

The moon may not rise this evening

 but the sunvwill set every night

I know where I'll be this evening

I hope she'll be here tonight

The Retirement Years by Tony Fallon 12 2 2025 copyright

The retirement years have come at last Oh they have crept up o n me.fast

Nasty pains I get in my head and neckYesterday in the mirror I saw a wreck 

First aid won't  help the pain in my heelWhen I  go to church I  cannot k eel

Long gone are my teeth I  have no smileeI  can't sit long because of piles

The hair I  have left won't  sit neat I  have ingrown toenails on both my feet 

I  get pains when it rains in my varacous  veins

My nose runs like Niagara Blue cross won't  pay for viagara

Sometimes I'm  highly sedated And sometimes I'm  constipated 

The doctor says I shouldnt drive Eggs and tomatoes give me a hive

My heart has a flutter  so I  can't  eat butter

I can't  eat my favorite nuts They lodge for days in my guts

French fries have toomuch greaseI can't  eat duck I  can't  eat geese

I  check for sodium potassium and total fat Dietary fiber sugar and stuff like that

Vitamins herbs all kinds of pills Are fighting g aĺ my lousy ills

I eat salads and tofu before I nap But who the he'll wants to eat that crab

I eat an o ion or garlic we must part  Within a few minutes I  will pass wind 

Vicks for my nose drops for my eyesA Bottle of modicum guarantees. no surprise 

My favorite cigar I  can̈not smoke The nicotine might make me choke

No whoppers and definitely   no  MacThe fat might. cause a heart attack

Whisky wine and even Bud Mixed with my medicine are no good

I can't  eat pork or roasted veal Bran and baby food thats5 a big meal

I can't eat bologna  salami or ham And on my toast or bagel no butter or jam

The nutritionist  says you must eat more fish But a cheeseburger with fries that's my wish

Because of chloresterol  I  can't  eat red  eatAnd I can't  eat white bread only wheat

I hide in the closet and am discreet Whenever I'm  hungry and want to cheat

I hardly eat and am losing weight I'm so tired im5 in bed by eight

Almost every night I'm  in a dream Eating vanilla cherries and whipped cream 

In the morning I  don't  want to get dressed So then my wife says you're  depressed

She says she needs a vacation To get away from my hallucination

I thought my final years would be first class Not like hemorrhoids a pain in my ass,

The last two lines  can be 

Farse/Arse or Superior /Posterior 

My latest dream 11 11 25 copyright

 Last ightI drea ed of you we were walking mm no hand in hand

QWe were in Shannon Airport not on your hometown sand

I had come back for a long vacation before we met 

It had been so cold and the weather was often wet

You had come to visit an uncle next door resident

To make your acquaintance at first I was hesitant 

I knew if you ignored me it would be a heartbreaker

But your uncle was wise he be ame the mat maker

I guess he's wise with Patterson the heart

But if I return alone we'll be a thousand miles apart 

We knew a roma ce far from ho e could lead to dange 

But we cast peril to the wind in the la d of the stranger 

And so a took up thechalle number get as we were blindfolded 

And the biggest romance  of my life so far unfolded

Since we  were in the country  the village was isolated

And local couples only on the weekends dated

Local entertainment was limited if fact almost none

So going to town on weekends wa the place for fun

We used the relati es bicyclesand often. went for a walk

And with many of the neighbors we stopped for a talk

Within days we were everybody's  new friend

I could Seoul weren't happy your vacation would soon end

Will the break be clean tomorrow's or will we cling

Is this a real romance or just a summer fling

Will you be returning alone to your .Friday heat

Then parting with you in JFK will be bittersweet

Olana State Park by To y Fallon 2018

 I went to Ola and State Park and boy did I get a surprise

The beauty there before me opened up my eyes

A farm had bin purchase in the 1880's by a man named Church

He loved it's fields and meadows surrou ded b y oak ash and birch

For years a swamp was dud out as a manmade lake

This in the winter is a resting place  for goose duck and drake

It is a whole hillside with miles of spectacular  views

The first time he saw it it must've  chased away his blues

He must have looked in wonder ar the mountains far away

Which one ca so easily visit by motor car today

The sun shines on the Hudson often clogged with ice

As it meanders through the valley below this piece of Paradise

Broke broke broke

 Broke broke broke TonyFallonMay152025

I woke up this morning and realized I was broke

I didn't  have enough case to buy two cans of Coke

My credit card was maxed so l couldn't get an advance

I only had an e-bike which they will not refinance

I have no money to buy a gift for my girlfriend

And most of my family are in no mood to lend

I have been to the pawn shop to hock my guitar

The bank sent a row truck to repossess my car

It didn't matter much my insurance had elapsed

I shed so many tears in my last beers I almost collapsed 

My old boss and me did not agree so I was sacked

I missed four days in a row a breach of my contract

The union is fighting for me and will loan me a tent

The landlord says he'll evict me in a letter of intent

I better get a part time job for security and rent

I don't  think I'll be going to any st Patrick's day even

Over the years I've paid my bills I  was up to date

I'm  afraid not month's Visa payment will be late

When friends want a loan repaid I have some excuse

They often mention seeing me in bars soaking up booze

In my richer days of yore I  often freely lent

Had flashy clothes and cars and freely overspent

Because of excesses I'm reduced to public transportation 

And I guess next summer there will be no Irish vacation

I can't get a loan or gift a handout or an outright donation

When I  ask my children it becomes a confrontation

Because of bad management I  lack family support

I'm not so responsible I'm  often a wee bit short

If things don't quickly improve I may become a squatter

Instead of fancy resteraunts I be on a diet of bread and water.

MAY not be Spring May 8 2017

 MAY not be Spring MAY 8 2017

The weather is awful here there is no sign of spring

The birds are disillusioned they won't even sing

 It's  the eighth of May and early plants have been lost

Two and three nights ago we had many hours of frost

The skies are cloudy and dark the sun has rarely shown

The grass has not started growing and has not been mown

The nasty a winds have knocked the the crocus and daffodils 

And the iris has barely shown its leaves because of the chills,

There is a reluctance to dig gardens from Cairo to Leeds

And think of the coming harvest by sowing plants or seeds 

I looked up to the Catskill mountains and do you know?

The top of the mountains are covered with new snow

Quite a different story from the month of February

When they had no natural snow for the city folks to ski

Galway 2025 by Tony Fallon

 Galway 2025

In Roscommon town there will be an  Eater parade

Meanwhile in Galway fifteen men will not be afraid

The manager and selectors will be facing a major decision

As we face off against Galway also in the first division

All will want good weather without rain or cold breeze

As they play their first game after short trips overseas

To come back winners from Salthill is our utmost dream

So we must have great players and subs on our team

We must have high fielders who are not faint of heart

And attack the home town heroes from the very start

This is the first year of the new enhancement rules 

When players who give lip to the ref are considered fools

A simple foul of old days mean you are classified as cheaters

And the refere can move up the ball as much as fifty meters

Another major change which has been pushed through

If you kick over the bar from fifty yards it will count as two

So from this day on the long kickers will hold controls

Now three of those long ones count as much as two goals

There will be great expectations from the Murthagh brothers

But it's not a two man team we must depend on the others

When half time rolls around we should be ahead by five

Then in the second half our team goes into overdrive

The win goes to the team with the best sharpshooter 

I predict Roscommon will be ahead at the final hooter

Roscommon 2023

 I've  bèn in America now for more than 50 years

Today in front of my computer I  shed happy tears

In my head I  can still hear the Castlebar roar

But I  still want to sit there and cry a little more

At half time Roscommon was acting a little superior

Another day for our loyal fans not to feel inferior

Even the most loyal fans thought they had backed a tired horse

But David  was beating Goliath and doing it with force

How were they to know our horses were not buried

And that by fuĺ time it would be Mayo who was harried? 

Shakespeare

 Shakespeare didn't have to leave home when he was a kid

He wrote and wrote for days on end and made it big at home

He never learned  Spanish so he couldn't go to Madrid 

He was no better at Italian or Latin so he couldn't go to Rome 

Some didn't understand his sonnetts others disliked his plays

While others didn't like Tony and Cleopatra boating on the Nile 

Some of his contemporaries hated how he could turn a phase

I'm sure others thought him a heretic and wanted him on trial 

SpecialPerson©2024TonyFallon627

 SpecialPerson©2024TonyFallon627

Time goes by so quickly when you meet a special person

You know they are meant for you but you are still not certain

It's first a day and then a week and soon it's ninety days

You have enjoyed the ninety days so much you are amazed

How could this happen so fast you are now going steady

How can you feel doubt and fear and why do you feel edgy

Is it because you don't feel worthy or you don't feel blessed

If luck has fallen in your lap why can you not accept

For many years you played the green fields and spread your wild oats

You know the parents like you you already met the folks

They are well off with a big house and love the only child

There is no doubt in my mind now you two should be combined

TheLonelyTrees©2024TonyFallon620

 TheLonelyTrees©2024TonyFallon620

Living overseas for my home village I have yearned

The memories started popping up since I'd returned

As we drove roads of my youth to temptation I couldn't yield

Without a word I parked the car and walked into the field

As I crossed the ten acres towards the lonely trees

I felt the warm sunshine and the promise of a breeze

They were five fine big shade oak trees planted in a line

On hot close summer days the stock would gladly recline

I wondered why they were planted if it was for shade

The one in the middle hit by lightning was decayed

The flash of lightning in a storm split the tree in halves

And took the lives of the farmers two fine young calves

In the warm days of summer in the mid day sun blaze

Often young lambs played in the shade while their mothers grazed

I wonder if they were commissioned by an English squire

Who wound up with some Irish land far away from Yorkshire

Did he ride around on a horse in fine English tweeds

Or was he conscious of his poor Irish tenants needs

I wonder during the famine were there cabins of sods

Which were torn down for rent money by the eviction squads

The field was part of an estate long before partition

That had been divided up by the Land Commission

In the spreading branches how many birds have nested

Beneath the shadow of leaves how many men have rested

A few feet up all of the trees had some shiny bark

I wonder how many cows had scratched there in the dark

Who were the lovers initials inscribed within a heart

Were they happy forever or did they sadly fall apart

Through the field to school and church there was right of way

On our way home from school we children often stopped to play

It would take a lot of plowing to have a grain crop

The five trees looked like ghosts in winter with no leaves on top.

The farmers son loved Gaelic football and his name was James

So we were allowed to use the field for our football games

Living overseas for my home village I have yearned

The memories started popping up since I've returned

As we drove roads of my youth to temptation I couldn't yield

Without a word I parked the car and walked into the field

The half hour in that lovely field for me was so good

My wife sat silent in the car I don't think she understood

©All rights belong to the author/

TheRossies2024©Tony Fallon622

 TheRossies2024©Tony Fallon622

The Rossies minors in 2006 brought us great cheer

And won the Connaught Championship easily that year

We drew the game in Dublin and won the replay in Clare

And sent the Kerry minor team back home in despair

We thought this was the foundation of greater things to come

And we celebrated in Castlerea Athlone and Drum

There was hope of a great team anchored by Donie Shine

He could score with either boot he could score from any line

I was in New York the day of that awful tackle

When Donnie was laid out by an illegal knee or knuckle

We have had some great attackers we've had great defense

We've had some easy wins at home and on the road suspense

That was almost twenty years yet Sam has not appeared

Yet from the Suck to the Shammon the fans have persevered

Now they have come back from a trip to Tyrone with a scoop

But this was not the All Ireland they have to regroup

We have won two games and we are in the final eight

There's no easy game ahead the big guns lie in wait

Win five in a row it'll be a Summer to remember

And bring back memories of a long ago September

Betty'sPoem 2024TonyFallon615

 My name is Tony Fallon and Betty and I grew up about 8 miles apart.

I've been in New York for almost 60 years.I've written for many 

newspapers in Ireland and America  and have been on the radio 

for 47 years and I owned a DiscJockey businss in NYC area.

I write poetry and have one book published. 

I am the Poet Laureate of Cairo New York. I inherited the 

Fallon and Groarke brains as I left school when I was 16.

Betty'sPoem 2024TonyFallon615

The saddest day of Betty's life was leaving her home place

With everything she owned that day in a little suit case

Her last week was sad and lonesome her mind full of gloom

As she thought back to her mother now buried in Kiltoom

She remembered  her childhood and friends with whom she'd grown

It wouuld be months before she'd  again see the lights of Athlone

To the emigrant boat like many before she was assigned

Sadly leaving her young siblings and relatives  behind

I'm sure like many others she had a lonesome attack

With few prospects in Ireland  there was no going back

Alas she and Davey were not the first or last transplants

There were more to follow the generation before lost aunts

Over there already she had first cousins named Coyne

Maybe with the help of God within days they would rejoin

The sun may have shone that day but all were sad and sullen

The day Betty Fallon left her first home in Ardmullen

The scenery was unbeaten even in cold winter chill

You could see to Rahara walking down that big hill

Coming home you would have to be healthy and physical

Because no one ever rode to the top on their bicycle

One side was the Shannon the other a disappearing Lake

In summer it had pike in winter wild geese, duck and drake

The farm was very productive with its rich Roscommon lome

But so sloped up and hilly the cows would rarely come home

We now realize her staying power and endurance skills

Were learned at an early age walking those Ardmullen hills

We are double first cousins two sisters married two brothers

We had the same grandfathers and the same grandmothers

She walked to Curraghboy school daily in clothes of wollen

Returning every day at four to the hill of Ardmullen

The train went to Dublin and the old boat to Hollyhead

From Hollyhead to Eustace station the train quickly sped

To get a decent job fast was now her great ambition

While reading ads in Double 3 she secured a position

Either God was smiling on her or they loved her Irish cheer

How many girl's on their very first day start a new career

At that job and others she served food on many tables

And for three generations she rocked a lot of cradles

All the jobs and work she did she was just like a machine

You would not believe her story on a big movie screen

As the children came along and the family grew in size

She moved to Caledonia Road and later Hornsey Rise

Though she has conquered London for about six decades

The memory of Carrowkeel and Ardmullen never fades

The sweet memories of Betty's lifetime we can not replace

Now there  are four genetations from Betty down to Grace

Since I mentioned Grace there is Oscar Jude Harry and Hayden

There's Elliot Archie and Amelia a teenage maiden

As the children enjoy the food around this big buffet

We would love  food like that when we were saving hay

Living far from home the birth of her children she took in stride

With Elizabeth and Michael first she showed them off with pride

When Angela and James came later they each had three sibs

She said I'm finished with cradles there will be no more cribs

Since she and Angela share a birthday they yearly dine

Talk about the old days and share a bottle of red wine

I said I'd include all grandchildren that was a promise

There is Dean Leah Rebecca Rosie and Thomas

Also Jamie Michael Keith Ashley and Louise

I almost forgot Melissa and that wouldn't please

When God invented Betty Fallon he threw away the code

And set down before her a long narrow and winding road

Yet after all those tough years we know she has succeeded

She was there with help for her family when she was needed

I'm sure all look up to her she is experienced and wise

But I'm still fifty days older than her that is no surprise

I live in New York now far from Rahara and Barnacullen

A Happy Birthday to my cousin Betty from Ardmullen

TheEvilField©2024TonyFallon520

 

TheEvilField©2024TonyFallon520

I wandered in the dark evening zone

And felt some peace though I was alone

I must have crossed some evil ground

I wound up going round and round

I was in a valley which was vast

And I was getting nowhere fast.

Slowly I was getting more confused

I am sure by now no way amused

The circle got bigger with no egress

Was I lost forever in such stress

I'd see lights then they would dissappear

No human or living thing was near

I cirled unaware of east or west

Still in the field having not progressed

I could not walk left or straight only right

No pathway or exit was in sight

I could not walk straight or exit spy

Must I walk in circles until I'd die

The buzz in my head I wanted to stop

I was getting tired soon I would drop

Walking my energy started to zap

Yet this was not the right time to nap

To lie down now would be a big mistake

So I started counting to stay awake

It was so dark I couldn;t see my hand

Like a caged prisoner on remand

Now I was in a swamp my feet were wet

And so humid I was soaked in sweat

This whole evening turned out so eerie

Circling was turning me so weary

I thought there was a light from which I shrank

All drained of energhy I slowly sank

My true identity will be revealed

When they find me in this evil field.