- Compassion -

By John Herlihy

Out of infinity, a sense of infinity is born,

From the supreme darkness of deep space torn,

The solar system, the earth, the mind to adorn.

Within infinity, the universe tries to keep its pace,

Its fingerprint in the breathless darkness of deep space,

Its soul-print inside the heart of the human race.

At night, I venture forth the heavens to espy,

The sky no longer blue, the color spectrum run dry,

Starlight but the white breath of an ancient cry.

At the edge of infinity lies a distant star,

That brings infinity down to a place near, not far.

Its wand of light tempers the heart, glowing cinnabar,

Though long dead, a star’s light continues to travel,

Finally, on wavelets of a midnight pond, to unravel,

This brave voyager beats within my heart with its gavel.

Its message sent to us on the wings of a bird,

A message whispered thru the ages, but never fully heard,

When finally listened to, human emotions are stirred.

Out of the depths of infinity, a sense of infinity torn,

With a force whose power leaves us longing, forlorn.

Until behold, in the light of a star, compassion is born.

The world of silence never before said so much,

How can the world of silence reach down to us to touch?

I don’t know, but smile sweetly, feeling suddenly the blush.

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(c) John Herlihy December 2018