The Beginning of the End
By John Herlihy

Is anyone out there beyond the pacific rim?
Is anyone listening to the secrets under my skin?
Some days I awaken with a clear message to send;
Other days just feel like the beginning of the end.
The signs are out there shimming on the horizon;
I reach out to read them from an old body wizened.
No longer sleeping like a baby, I linger long awake,
Soft slippers, soft music, soft food for my own sake.
When I look back, I can happily list what I achieved.
Why, then, in the night’s darkness, do I feel bereaved?
You would think that age would bring compensations;
What little there is only feels like stingy dispensations.
With darkness comes a hint of the beginning of the end;
At first light, on bird wings, dawn has much to portend.