-- Understanding Our Time --

John Herlihy

Sorrow carries a weight most difficult to bear,

There upon my shoulders, little mercy to spare.

With courage, I pursue the demands of my vow,

Falling to further depths this affliction will allow.

Tears of the virtuous bathe the breast in remorse,

Tears of the damned will singe and scald the lost.

We try to diminish burdens and endorse comforts,

We seek a meager happiness when out of sorts.

There can be beauty in truth’s recurring sorrow,

Just as the future lies in the coming of tomorrow.

I ask forgiveness of sins with sincere repentance,

I face the future with a sense of awed reverence.

To seek understanding of our time, see its beauty,

May I bask in the calming shade of God’s mercy.

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(c) John Herlihy 21 September 2019