Before I Was Born

By John Herlihy

Where was I before I was born,

In wind blown as a floating leaf.

Rolling sagebrush lost and forlorn,

Life stole me from nowhere, a thief.

Where was I then before I was born,

With no past, from the future torn.

I look around feeling simple relief,

Days ahead, time enough for grief.

Secure in life, no need for scorn,

The candle will flicker but brief.

Where was I before I was born,

In wind blown as a floating leaf.

You saw me before I was born,

Eternity is forever, life but brief.

When I landed, I did feel grief,

Knowing that I had been born.

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(c) John Herlihy November 2018