-- Infinity --

By John Herlihy

Whenever I wish to set my mind free,

I pack a blanket and travel to the ocean.

Upon arrival, what do I think but infinity,

My curious mind filled by a magic potion.

The luster of infinity soon turns somber,

Such massive spaces with nowhere to go.

Everywhere as nowhere special to wander,

Endless sea and sky where gentle winds blow.

There I sat on a blanket, surrounded by infinity,

Even the distant horizon but a thread to behold.

Swallowed by the vastness of this enduring mystery,

Ever present, ever alluring, a story never fully told.

As I sat lost in reverie, soon I somehow felt found,

The waves, like children’s laughter, ticked my feet.

In the silence of that infinity, I suddenly heard sound,

The lolling, crashing, rolling waves my ears to greet.

Amid this infinity suddenly grounded here and now,

The light in the cresting waves luminescent with sparkle.

Having roamed in infinity, brought back to earth somehow,

To realize. not beyond the horizon. But right here, miracle.

I now began to examine my surroundings more closely,

The rhythms of oceanic tides with their ebb and flow.

Sounding glorious harmonies as the tides surge dutifully,

Visible forces of nature with a clear message to bestow.

What is infinity but a vast realm of pure potential,

A profound emptiness waiting patiently to be filled.

A mystery reminding us of our need for the essential,

Our minds fill with possibility, our hearts finally stilled.

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Copyright © John Herlihy

Sunday 16 July 2023