Fill Thy Cup

by John Herlihy

My beloved son, fill thy cup with tears,

With sorrows spread over ten thousand years.

Time itself a cup replete with minutes and hours,

Today filled by tomorrows, a garden with flowers.

May my cup of happiness forever overflow,

May my cup of misfortune into the wind blow.

Drink from your life's cup with meager sips,

Bitter and sweet nuggets to pass thru my lips.

Extend this cup so that others may drink,

Generosity pours from your cup at the brink.

When the day comes this cup taken away,

May this day take with it all you do and say.

For now you may hold this cup firmly in hand,

Filled with all the challenges that life may demand. 

May your cup be lifted aloft by birds in flight,

May your cup be a pearl filled with divine light.

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Copyright © John Herlihy

Monday 8 September 2025