- On Its Own Terms -

By John Herlihy

We take it as it may come,

Here, there, always on the run.

Nature not subject to human whim,

Filled to overflowing beyond the brim.

Nature often beautiful, tender, cruel,

Dark as pitch, or lustrous as a jewel.

Lightning strikes but the tree burns,

The flower opens as the bee yearns.

The glacier melts its heart and soul,

The bud’s nectar the butterfly stole.

Thunder rolls thru bone-white cloud,

Mist covers the valley as a shroud.

The wave surges, crests, and foams;

The earth quakes, shakes, and groans.

The little sprout peaks its weak head;

Its hidden strength opens earth’s bed.

The tornado ravages the earth’s face,

Hoar-frost trace images of delicate lace.

An avalanche roars on mountain peaks,

Dark clouds mumble as the sky weeps.

Immense galaxies like a ballerina twirl,

Asteroids and meteors toward earth hurl.

Mother Nature works on her own terms,

To teach what the human being learns.

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(c) John Herlihy November 2018