Behind the Face of the Poet

by John Herlihy

Let me hide behind the face of a poet,

Speak through the voice of the unknown.

Hide and speak truths at the same time,

Reality and self effacement intimately sewn.

Through the written word in silence one surrenders,

Assembled letters lay quietly on the page.

In the sanctuary of the mind the poet remembers,

Universal truths in the soul of the sage.

Whether poet or person we do surrender,

To Universal truth and to natural law.

The poet gives voice of realities to remember,

On winter snows the footprints of a wolf's paw.

The poet will not be remembered,

Vanished Into the mists of time.

The poem left behind well-rendered,

Truths in verses and stanzas rhymed.

Nothing as silent as the silence of words,

That lay upon the page like mute birds.

Poetic silence as solemn as a psalm,

Silently tracing lines on the surface of my palm.

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Copyright © John Herlihy

Monday 21`April 2025