-- A Farewell Sonata --

by John Herlihy

We can’t reverse the clock,

Go back to any spent years.

The door of the past locked,

With no payment in arrears.

We need only move forward,

In the manner of time itself.

We need not hold backward,

In the past sitting on a shelf.

How our future path might run,

With no haste as our hallmark.

Life from breath and light spun,

The wind in the willows – hark.

Time moves forward its own way

Never rushes headlong, never waits

From its trajectory never to sway

Never pay attention to any dates

The innocent bud now bloomed,

Soon to be withered and dried.

Lasting permanence never assumed,

Only glimpses of the future espied.

Loving feelings could do no wrong,

Manifest in the strength of youth.

Life is short, but loving lasts long,

Holding us firm in its living truth.

And so the future will march on,

Time longed for, nothing missed.

A fine mist our eyes touched upon,

Only the present moment blessed.

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Copyright © John Herlihy

Saturday 7 December 2024