Beautiful Places
By John Herlihy

Why do beautiful places give us sad thoughts,
Full of the lingering nostalgia of parting shots?
We breathe in the sunrise until it fills our bones;
Its sunlight shines on knitted blankets in our homes.
And yet when the sun comes up, we simply stare;
Feelings fall into the heart’s cave we can hardly bear.

Why do those beautiful places begged us to share,
Visions of the sacred we see in nature laid bare.
When we hear the heart beat of a forest primeval,
We remember raw Nature after creation’s upheaval.
The forest itself beats within us like another heart;
Intimate settings that find themselves worlds apart.

Why do beautiful places evoke glory of the Divine,
Full of purity and light bordering on the Sublime.
While our hearts often cloud over with dark shadow,
We bow our heads in reflection to see a fleeting doe.
Butterflies flit thru the air and simply steal our hearts,
When a rainbow appears, our trouble quickly departs.

Whether we feel wretched and forlorn, happy or sad,
Beautiful places are always in the eye of certainty clad.
Their vistas arouse emotions that lie deeply within;
Their blessing encompasses our every virtue and sin.
They take us to places we would never go on our own;
They draw forth joy and sorrow we ourselves have sown.