The Only True Sadness
By John Herlihy

The world is full of sadness; we know not why;
We cannot begin to explain it; we don’t even try.
It makes me wonder how this has come about;
Some things reduce me to tears, I cry and shout.
Yet, for every sorrow lies an alternative happiness;
For every unexpected harshness, a loving tenderness.
The seasons, they are dressed in opposing attitudes;
The winter builds fortitude, while summer plenitude.
The animal kingdom sets forth opposing expressions;
The owl projects wisdom; the wolf makes no confessions.
The snail carries its own home and makes its own time;
The eagle flies over mountain peaks and soars sublime.
Then there is the perennial question of life and death;
Truths that echo soundly with the intake of each breath.
For every baby that is born, another person sadly dies;
Some people enjoy the fruits of success, others their demise.
Nature sends mixed messages through a multitude of signs;
The only true sadness lies in not reading between the lines.