-- To Miss Things --

John Herlihy

It can feel good to miss things,

Certain things that life brings.

To miss the thrill of falling snow,

To miss all the loved ones I know.

Some things seem set up to miss,

First love fondly kept, my first kiss.

We miss childhood freedom and joy,

Miss raw energy in being girl or boy.

We miss things to make us burn,

Only to realize we need to learn.

Money enough frivolously spent,

No money teaches what it meant.

Missing luggage, proof, papers, keys,

Missing things bring us to our knees.

Then feel the joy when we finally find,

All the missing things filling our mind.

One word in the poem may escape,

Making impossible a poem to make.

One last word needs to find its place,

I eagerly miss till I fill the empty space.

Sweet pain lies in missing a friend,

Their absence often feels like an end.

Only to realize the friend is still there,

Missing them becomes a silent prayer.

Missing helps you feel you are living,

Helping us to remember all the giving.

How to reach out for someone to touch,

Be touched in return to value so much.

Our every passion will leave a trail,

Traced there behind us to no avail.

Love stirs passion from a deep well,

Soon to fly off with no words to tell.

I have loved, I say to myself, content,

Missing her keeps alive what it meant.

To miss her, she will feel one last kiss,

To stir to life what she may well miss.

Then my missing turns sweet sorrow,

Still missing her, today and tomorrow.

Just to remember all that with her I had,

Missing her always makes me feel glad.

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(c) John Herlihy 3 August 2019