Doors of the Universe
By John Herlihy

Once upon an ancient time,
The doors of the universe were open.
Ancient man beheld nature’s wonder,
Understood every star and galaxy as token.
Mysteries were protected by a transparent veil,
The unknown there humanity’s confidence to assail
Primitive man walked in ignorance. but still knew.
When he gazed overhead, he saw more than blue.
The doors of his universe were fully open, protected.
What surrounding nature offered, he freely accepted.
His doors mirrored universal doors he never neglected.
As a result, certain evils passed him by never suspected.
The stars twinkled mysteries, the moon pulled the tides,
As the sun rose and set, his faith in the universe abides.
But that was once upon an ancient time.

Once upon this modern time,
The doors of the universe now closed.
Modern man beholds nature’s facts in kind,
To know so little and only what he supposed.
Mysteries of the universe now summarily disbelieved;
What we see, hear, smell, taste, touch no longer mattered.
Our imagination leads to only what we have conceived;
The mirror of the universal unknown is now shattered.
The stars and galaxies are still there, and so too the moon;
But the universal door is closed, no access to its inner room.
We have closed the very doors we should demand to be open;
We have deluded ourselves, our illusions now our only token.
The sun rises and sets and yes, night still overtakes day;
Nature leaves us a question to answer in our own way.
But not here, not now, that is for another time.