Sacred Territory
By John Herlihy

My eyes never suffer from too much seeing,
My eyes feasting on Nature’s dress, so appealing.
Delicate butterflies dance about with painted wings;
At the sight of the plodding turtle, my heart sings.
My eyes filled by the corona of morning light;
Its shards glistening on everything in sight.

My ears never suffer from too much hearing,
All of Nature speaks, their voices appealing.
Echoing rhythms of the lark and the loon
Calls and whispers under the midnight moon.
Who doesn’t notice the humming of the bees?
All of nature sings praise as if on their knees.

My nose never suffers from too much smelling,
Nature’s odors reach out and can be compelling.
The heavenly aromas of the jasmine and the rose
Leave nothing to the imagination to falsely suppose.
The scent so distinctive of myrrh and frankincense,
Perfumes of wood-smoke and pine with no pretense.

My tongue never suffers from too much tasting,
Never let a morsel to squander away in wasting.
All the exotic spices of the world to freely savor,
To partake of the golden nectar of honey’s flavor.
Let us not forget the first taste of mother’s milk,
The first taste to enter our body feeling like silk.

Touch becomes the fifth sense in our feeling’s range,
Sentiments and emotions with nothing alien or strange.
A new-born infant touches us with its beatific smile;
My beloved offers eternal love in her intimate style.
Whether soft, rough, coarse, bumpy or silky smooth;
Touch wraps us up in its all-encompassing groove.

Each of our senses explores its own sacred territory,
Each of our senses tells a truth from their own story.
To taste life, to touch love, to see light, or earth smell,
To listen to the mysterious tolling of Nature’s holy bell.
The five senses lead from outer to deeper inner worlds,
To pry open the oyster to expose the mystery of pearls.