The Garden of Inner Desire

By John Herlihy

We long for peace,

But it eludes our grasp.

Our striving will never cease,

Until our life has passed.

Happiness arrives in moments,

Like a knock on our door.

Our spirits true endowments,

To touch our inner core.

Contentment a state of mind,

A placid lake, a tree-lined shore.

Its well-being never unkind,

Within my heart an open door.

Intimacy in a thimble,

A butterfly lifted on wings.

A hush, a sigh, a lone cymbal,

That pure love brings.

The pain of lost love,

The yearning in all we miss.

Skyborne my treasured dove,

Left behind the fragility of bliss.

The ecstasy of love gained,

The loved one I simply adore.

Nothing more seems unattained,

Now landed on Heaven’s shore.

Oh, where art thou, piety,

A caged bird I never truly knew.

The inner cave of my outward sobriety,

Its key of holiness to serve as clue.

We pluck the many budding flowers,

In life’s garden of inner desire.

We search endlessly the earth’s bowers,

For the mustard seed our soul to inspire.

The soul nurtures all my aspiration

A seed planted deep in sacred ground

The Divinity reveals His inspiration

With a guidance most profound

Let me repeat the Sacred Name,

Lulling me deep into a trance.

To free me from all sin and blame,

My humble spirit to enhance.

I bow my head in perfect solitude,

My eyes await the coming morn.

My heart will now be filled with plenitude,

My garden of desire illuminated by dawn.

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(c) John Herlihy November 2018