-- AS OLD AS THE NIGHT --

­­John Herlihy

I have grown old and so has the night,

We speak few words and that is right.

Old but ageless, who can ask for more,

A few more days then, I openly implore.

We know not where or whence we go,

I know not even what I claim to know.

I live my life with destination unknown,

My path with certainty and doubt sewn.

In youth, life’s passage seemed endless,

Ancient melodies woven into darkness.

Now the future seems all but doubtful,

I take one day at a time feeling soulful.

Night’s heartbeats stirred from silence,

As if to surrender the luxury of absence.

Thus do I listen so carefully in the dark,

Not see the flame but to hear the spark.

Blinded by Heaven from the light of day,

Whispers and sighs what night winds say.

They sing of lands far on the other side,

Into a well as dark as the ocean is wide.

- - - - -

(c) John Herlihy 16 January 2020