-- Never Fully Know --

John Herlihy

Some things we never fully know,

Until other things we fully knew.

We had never fully known the gift of lightness,

Until we knew the weight of heaviness.

We had never fully known the depth of love,

Until we knew the scourge of hate.

We had never fully known the grip of chains,

Until the bird of freedom from my heart flew.

We had never fully known the waste of impatience,

Until we knew the timeliness of patience.

We had never fully known the true value of hope,

Until we knew the true depths of despair.

We had never fully known the extent of happiness,

Until we knew the overwhelming burden of sorrow.

We had never fully known the strength of courage,

Until we knew the weakness of cowardice.

We had never fully known the clarity of certainty,

Until we knew the ambiguity of uncertainty.

May we fully experience all the things we know;

May we never fail to realize what we first need to know.

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Copyright © John Herlihy

Sunday 4 July 2021