Labyrinths of Knowing and Unknowing
By John Herlihy
I always knew of the forces of power;
But I never knew the power of the forces within me.
I always knew of the emotion of love;
But I never knew the potential of love within me.
I always knew the world was full of mystery;
But I never knew the extent of the mystery within me.
I always knew that multiple fears linger in the shadows;
But I never knew that lasting fear has no power within me.
I always knew people - every one - have their own secrets;
But I never knew the true depths of the secrets within me.
I always knew that lies make up our perceptions of the world;
But I never knew why so many lies brewed within me.
I always knew the value of lasting friendships;
But I never knew the unbreakable bond of friendship within me.
I always knew that sorrow comes to a life and sorrow goes;
But I never knew the true pain of sorrow until I felt it within me.
I always knew the poignancy of loyalty;
But I never knew the loss of loyalty until I felt it within me.
I always knew the idea of trust between two people;
But I never knew true trust until I uncovered it within me.
I always knew the possibility of loss in relationships;
But I never knew the meaning of loss until it sat there within me.
I always knew the blessing of forgiveness from a wrong;
But I never knew the power of forgiveness until bestowed upon me.
The labyrinth of unknowing leads into the depths of the known;
The labyrinth of knowing leads into the depths of the unknown.
We never know until we experience it firsthand. And self discovery is the best discovery of all. The beginning of knowledge starts with, I don't know. Enjoyed this deep thinking write.
As I read your poem I realized that there is no substitute for personal experience. While we can read about and hypothesize about a certain experience or emotion, until we have actually experienced it, we may not fully understand what it is.
Love ya!
Jane
Ron