- All Those Many Hours –

By John Herlihy

Some hours are good hours by anyone’s reckoning;

They sit on time’s arrow with fingers beckoning.

Some hours are bad hours by anyone’s reckoning;

They slow down time’s arrow, our mood wrecking.

Then there are hours. . . and hours . . . and hours,

All the annoying hours and all the indifferent hours.

All those past hours that quietly slipped away,

Just disappeared into the night, a vanishing ray.

All those future hours patiently waiting in the wings,

All those minutes and seconds that the future brings.

Then there are hours . . . and hours . . . and hours,

Hours full of aggravation and hours full of frustration.

What of all those hours in a lifetime everyone wanted,

Sleeping happily with one’s wife, a thick wallet flaunted.

Young lovers on a first date that feels like love at first sight,

An old alcoholic sleeping off a binge in a corner at night.

Then there are hours . . . and hours . . . and hours,

A few moments of pleasure stolen from the many hours.

What of all those miserable hours that nobody wanted,

Hours so grave they leave people feeling a little daunted.

For example, hours when you feel clueless, nothing to know,

Hours you feel so destitute when you have nowhere to go.

Then there are the hours . . . and hours . . . and hours,

All those hours left waiting, all those hours simply baiting.

When I think of all the hours I’ve had to face in a given day;

I marvel at the extreme variation all those hours had to say.

The loneliest hour, the most sorrowful hour, the darkest hour;

Hours that dim the light of the soul and drain away any power.

There they all are, the hours . . . and hours . . . and hours,

The endless hours, the ceaseless hours, the heartless hours.

All those precious hours that you always wanted to keep,

All those miserable hours that always made you weep.

Finally, there are the hours. . . and hours . . . and hours,

The happiest hours, the contented hours, the magical hours.

All those hours so glorious that time itself disappeared,

All those hours, no matter how dark, when the darkness cleared.

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(c) John Herlihy 27 October 2018