Poet John Herlihy Brings Finding Permanence in Transience, The Nearness of Distance, and What the Lord Has Lent Me - Enjoy!

 

Finding Permanence in Transience

by John Herlihy

We step every morning into the pearly dawn,

That dwells within the mind as a timid fawn.

A fragmentary moment within an air of transience,

Greeting us every morning with an air of permanence.

The ordinances of nature

 all display a sense of regularity,

The sun shines on orbiting earth

 as a matter of practicality.

Its beauty contains a mystery

 in those very rays of light,

Permanence amid transience

 as the day slays the night.

We stand in silhouette against

 burnished, shimmering sky,

As twilight bids us a melancholy farewell

 with its single cry.

Half the globe in pitch darkness,

 the earth lost in slumber,

While all the inhabitants rest secure

 in this nocturnal wonder.

We know nothing stays the same

 amid perpetual change,

Perpetual being the key word

 our transience to arrange.

The bud blushes as rose

 to enjoy its brief, limited history,

Its perfume, beauty,

 perfection freely share their intimacy.

The dragon of despair slays

 the evanescent specter of hope,

From a deep well of despair

 we climb up on the divine rope.

What more permanent

 than the rays of hope’s bright sun,

What could be more lasting

 than the relief slowly to be won.

We accept the idea of change

 because some things last forever,

Change but worldly elements

 that will take their leave never.

The river will always flow onward

 and never stays the same,

Carving pathways thru grand canyons,

 all in His glorious name.

Through a telescope,

 far distant objects now appear up close,

Losing one’s breath then finding it

 in this near scene grandiose.

As if capturing an eyeful of permanence

 in that glimmering star,

As if partaking in a wisdom

 that is so freely offered from afar.

An eye sees far distance

 while a solitary finger touches the heart,

A moment of permanence

 that will never take leave and depart.

The sun rays flood the night sky

 with dawn’s infant, dewy light,

All the while its smiling face

 lies below the horizon out of sight.

And so these hints of permanence

 take their leave and fade away,

The earth continues to turn

 with a permanence no poem can sway.

The universe wrapped up as a gift

 in this cocoon of sweet mystery,

All in salutation to the beauty and mystery

 of the Divine Reality.

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Copyright © John Herlihy

The Nearness of Distance

by John Herlihy

Miraculous the feelings aroused

 by the nearness of distance,

Feelings overwhelming

 that lay upon us with persistence.

Feelings remarkable that fill the mind

 and heart with joy,

Feelings despicable

 that only the mind and heart annoy.

The treachery now in the distant past

 still feels near,

The betrayal by a good friend

still feels close, held dear.

Sadly held recollections

 that still feel like a bee sting,

Callous rejection as sad lament

 that still in the heart sings.

The secret mystery

 the stars bring to the night’s firmament,

The exquisite design found

 in the spider's web and its filament.

All of nature's artifacts

 lend their probing mystery from afar,

The nearness of incredible distance

 found in the light of the star.

What's nearer than sad longings

 of a loved one sorely missed,

A presence still in the mind and heart

 as a sentiment blessed.

Falling a great distance down

 into the will of cavernous despair,

Whispered on a trembling tongue

 hopeful treaties of prayer.

What could be more distant

 than the things lost and never found,

The sensation of loss as a wave without shore, cresting profound.

What could be nearer than the kiss

 of those precious soft lips,

Nectar drawn from a distant flower

 savored with meager sips.

No, let no one tell you of the distance

 found in the near distance,

For in the distance lies a nearness

 that echoes with persistence.

The distant horizon of heaven and earth

 marked by a fine line,

Drawn as a near horizon of the soul 

with its message sublime.

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Copyright © John Herlihy

What the Lord Has Lent Me

by John Herlihy

What the Lord has lent me,
I can only gratefully reply.
What the Lord has sent me,
I can only gracefully sigh.

Whether weakness or fortitude,
Never more than I can bear.
Whether blessing and beatitude,
I will bow my head in prayer.

Some days right, some days wrong,
Decisions in the making whither I go.
Some days confused, some days strong,
When the time comes, I hope to know.

Some days I no doubt stumble and fall,
To lay my head gently upon the ground.
I will pick myself up again, standing tall,
In the distance I see a symbol profound.

A simple line separating heaven and earth,
The divine presence watching us here below.
A simple sign lent to everyone at birth,
Showing us the way how to prosper and grow.
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Copyright © John Herlihy

Thank you John for sharing your words across the world here at Book Readers Heaven~

Your poetry became deeper in thought this time and, together, provided much for readers to ponder and enjoy... And, of course, I love finding complementary music to enhance the sense of peace we find...

May God continue to Bless Your Writing!

 Gabby