As Nature Once Was
By John Herlihy

The gothic trees recall the beauties of our ancestral past,
Survived the ravages of centuries, earth’s turmoil to outlast.
They still stand reaching heavenward in stately stature,
While our hearts are filled to brimming in humble rapture.

The pristine lakes shimmer as the flood of Biblical waters,
Nestled within mountains with other primordial squatters.
The peaks, valleys and rivers all have their anointed place,
To wrap in utter mystery the imagination of the human race.

The mighty mountains boldly claim their place on the horizon;
They rise up out of the earth like a sleeping, primeval bison.
As we gaze upon their rocky cliffs, we denote a kindred face,
Inviting and familiar, its eye draws us into its warm embrace.

Then there is the mythical delight aroused in falling snow,
For us, iconic in its nature and cast with an eternal glow.
Who can resist the mystery winter snow stirs in all our parts,
Its frigid blanket somehow brings warmth to our ancient heart.

As beloved Mother Nature once was and still continues to be,
Draped in garments of color and light for all the world to see.
Silver stars, green forests, brown earth and sky’s celestial blue,
The glorious paint of God’s palette primitive man once knew.

If nature is still her sublime self as she was once intended to be,
What can be said of the sad creature that I see in the likes of me?
I walked with God, fell to the earth, made my way, stood ground;
All in the interest of earning the right to continue to stay around.

Mother Nature lifts up her protective veil the divine light to see;
Within every nook and cranny of the world, a mystery set free.
We need to open our eyes to witness the universal secret unfold,
A divine narrative of life and loss with the Breath of God foretold.