The Oldest Language of All

by John Herlihy

When I see a river,

I see the glistening of its ripples.

I feel the rush of its swift flow,

They're inside me on time's arrow.

When I see a mountain,

I see its stature, its majesty.

The challenge to climb to its peak,

Within me, it's the summit I seek.

When I see the dawn,

I see the rosy pearls of dew.

Strung on the necklace of the day,

There inside me, a promise to say.

When I see the dusk,

I see the heart of the day bleed.

Shadows slay the flames of the hour,

Within me, I feel the night's power.

When I see burning fire,

I see the rhythm of the glowing flame.

There within me as flickers of desire,

Red-hot embers my thoughts to inspire.

When I hear the wind,

I feel the rhythms of earth's breath.

Visible in the movement of trees,

I bow my head, there on my knees.

When I taste sea salt in the air,

I see the expense of the ocean.

Pensive, calm, too vast to disturb,

With inviting shores, my world to curb.

When I see a butterfly,

I see all the butterflies that lie within.

Seeking nectar in the heart of the flower,

Revealing life's beauty hour by hour.

When I see a firefly,

I see a firefly that lies within.

A lantern, a beacon, blinking in the night,

As a lighthouse beating the pulses of light .

Nature's artifacts speak from great depths,

To find the great depths that lies within.

Inviting, inciting, they. hold me in thrall,

As nature speaks the oldest language of all.

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Copyright © John Herlihy

Saturday 18 April 2026