The Virtue of Patience
By John Herlihy

Patience is the rock of enduring peace,
Not a random habit on loan or lease.
We live in a day of very little patience,
A noble virtue with very little presence.
A finite impatience is totally unsuitable,
But infinite patience is utterly beautiful.
A seconds worth of patience is like a thimble,
A minutes worth of patience makes us nimble.
An hours worth of patience makes us pliable,
Two hours worth of patience makes us reliable.

A days patience multiplies into the grace of years,
A lifetime of patience would neutralize our fears.
Pain, loss and misery find only limited space,
Patience puts everything into its proper place.
Patience is honest work; impulsiveness a chore,
An hour’s patience breeds courage, cowardice a bore.
Doesn’t patience make fresh what sadness cannot heal?
Sadness a fading shadow in light patience makes real.
Patience is born of a wisdom that will never truly yield,
Filling the cracks in our lives until they are fully sealed.