-- Gone Before They Arrive --

John Herlihy

Things sometimes feel gone before they even arrive,

Summer breezes soon blown that can never survive,

Days we look forward to we realize we will forget,

Days we wish were done we know we will regret.

Plans on the calendar that we wish we could erase,

People we may have to meet we didn’t want to face.

The coming days tempered with a lingering sorrow,

Future days we write off because they feel on borrow.

A sad day indeed when we wish the future to be done,

Not a future of enduring hope but as a dish rag wrung.

We know time passes, even future memories feel past,

We cannot saver future events we know will not last.

The breath of Indian summer soured by the coming fall,

Fragile snowflakes soon gone, what happened to them all.

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(c) John Herlihy 14 February 2020