-- Never –

John Herlihy

How glib we use words lightly,

Not knowing what they mean.

They trip off tongues sprightly,

Like moons with a false gleam.

The word never a case in point,

Eternity does darken the word.

Some firm intentions to anoint,

A word not easily to be heard.

Never, a wall we try to climb,

A ladder with steps to nowhere.

An insurmountable trick of mind,

The end never arrives, beware.

We promise never to say never,

A double negative makes it nil.

The word said lingers forever,

Fulfilling prophecy to echo still.

We note the simplicity of never,

Time lost in the dark pitch of tar.

We note complexity of forever,

Eternity stitched by light of a star.

Unnecessary to ever say never,

Lest the word endure forever.

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Copyright © John Herlihy

Sunday 30 October 2022