-- The Breath of the World -–

John Herlihy

We stare in wonder at butterflies and fireflies,

Such beautiful things that we could never devise.

We thrill in the storm with its sights and sounds,

Bolts of lightning hurled, pealing thunder abounds.

Our hearts beat wildly as words catch in our throat,

As we float serenely on placid waters in a river boat.

We purr in contentment at the approach of the dawn;

Our hearts may skip a beat at the sight of a timid fawn.

Such gauderies are adornments to seize the idle mind;

But Mother Nature wears ornaments of another kind.

What of the earth’s orbit with its mystical, magical tilt,

Ever turning on its axis with the promise never to wilt.

What of spiraling galaxies swirling thru blackened space;

What of the North Star singing solo in its appointed place?

What of indigo blue sky or heaven’s night draped in black,

The sun descending at twilight with promise to come back?

What we can see with the eyes we end up thinking credible;

What we never see with eyes always end up as expendable?

We place trust in gold that glitters; but complain of the sun;

We marvel at the color of uncut gems, but yawn as rivers run.

Ah yes, those uncut jewels often discovered in Nature’s rough;

How they proclaim their value, stir our greed, as the right stuff.

As resplendent as the stars filling the void of the darkest night,

As transparent as air, unclouded as the sun, they are so bright.

Every night stars appear high in the heavens, they we disregard;

What if they were never to appear again, to catch us off guard?

What of the air itself, its breath and life, with its worth in pearls,

Far more priceless than all the diamonds in a thousand worlds?

A gift of God so divine that we sip air’s breath in equal measure;

In its pure transparency, life but as nothing without this treasure.

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