-- Secrets --

by John Herlihy

A secret always a secret,

So long as never be told.

Binding, protected, treasured,

In the palm of the hand to hold.

Among friends a secret as promise,

An act of trust never to betray.

As consequence, the gift of solace,

A mutually enduring trust to convey.

Children harbor secrets they adore,

A shared intimacy with their friend.

Riding a wave never to break on shore,

Where in a fantasy world they pretend.

Everyone keeps their own counsel,

Secrets held beyond the ordinary.

Safely lodged within the heart at will,

Thus the secret unique, extraordinary.

A well-kept secret eases the mind,

A privacy others will never know.

A trust in oneself that feels kind,

A sigh heard as gentle winds blow.

Eventually the secret as polished gem,

Valued beyond what the world provides.

A secret kept secret, sewn into life’s hem,

In a cave from our cruel world to hide.

An invited guest, the secret always there,

As a friend for life, sacred vow as prayer.

Trust never broken, the secret never shared,

To die as it has lived, from betrayal spared.

Ah, how then is the elusive secret well-kept,

As sorrow that lingers once the eyes wept.

From where the glow of moon, the blue of sea,

Night overwhelms the day as a panther crept.

And so the secret lives on beyond the grave,

As well served as silence in a church nave.

An unrevealed secret as a stranger never met,

A trust to live forever in a secret well-kept.

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Copyright © John Herlihy

Sunday 4 February 2024