Ancient Prophecies, Modern Illusions
By John Herlihy

Ancient prophecies shine on the horizon with a mysterious glow,
Comforting words that fall into our hearts as with a gift to bestow.
The prophets spoke these prophecies as messengers of the future,
Harbingers of future promise tied together with a flimsy old suture.

For truth to tell, promises are one thing and they are meant to be kept;
With promises broken, they are a thing over which people have wept.
Yet, what these stately patriarchs have portended down the millennia
Have evolved as noble promises now broken in the envisioned utopia.

These prophecies still echo down the corridors of progressive time;
They continue to shine with light that each of us understands as mine.
Pretend that you are offering to a person the gift of a secret that is real;
Even the modern individual will gladly succumb to its cognitive appeal.

Consider for a moment the blessed vision of a heavenly paradise,
In counterpoint to the earthly paradise Mother Nature has devised.
It is perfectly natural people seek that which will make them happy,
Witness, for example, the infant baby gurgling merrily in its nappy.

Consider as another case in point the desire for personal fulfillment;
If we work hard and are successful, it will lead to sure contentment.
Most people delve deeply within, to find motivation to happily live;
Most people seek balance in their lives; they take but they also give.

Then there is the issue of our two-sided human nature to disclose.
Both good and evil lurk within us; this point no one would oppose.
People of all generations delve within themselves a cure to uncover
The evils of their alter-ego within, they have been made to discover

Ancient prophecies never really touched upon modern-day illusions;
We were never warned against the rise of contemporary delusions.
We pride ourselves on our ability to advance grand new technologies;
Evolutionary man is progressive man, creating unscripted anthologies.

We see ourselves as making progress with tech advances in medicine;
The modern world has come into its own with the discoveries of Edison.
The collective outpouring of world literature has enriched human hearts;
Countries the world over have encouraged the development of fine arts.

What about the enduring myth of human evolution from primal apes,
Encouraging many people to consider the human soul just sour grapes.
Yes, our critical and innovative thinking skills have evolved over time,
But we will need more than quantum mechanics for the soul to shine.

The ultimate illusion of the modern world lies in its false sentimentality;
Modern science accepts the premise of the physical world as sole reality.
Anything that extends beyond the nuts and bolts of purely physical matter
Remains denied at the outset and is considered a fiction of the Mad Hatter.

Let us place all of our earthly assumptions at the altar of human illusion;
Let us surrender our ghosts to the darkness and escape all our delusions.
The ancient prophecies had it right when they proclaimed ancient mystery,
That has endured thru the millennia to arrive unscathed in modern history.