Ode to an Ode

by John Herlihy

Let me write something with nothing owed;

Let me write a poem that a muse bestowed.

An ode to an ode this poem is rightly called,

Faint whispers to hold the listener enthralled.

There arrives time to get, time to get gotten,

A time as remembered and a time forgotten.

All of the sweet caring a fine ode has to offer,

As stolen treasure from some unlocked coffer.

Ready to go, nothing to hold the me poet back,

With echoing rhymes a-jingling in a burlap sack.

This poem waiting to be set free – into the sky,

This ode from the heart of me, on this to rely.

Verses riding the air, through windows flying,

Stirring up tender feelings there’s no denying.

Words gathered together singing lyric blues,

Sentiments burning as sparks from a lit fuse.

Words flow, the heart beating and humming,

A hand tapping my knee, my pulse drumming.

Sincere feelings unveiled, my soul laid bare,

This ode poured forth as praise and prayer.

Odes: solitude, idleness, memory, simplicity,

Calm, reflective odes to reveal their mystery.

Odes expansive, lyrical, emotionally resonant,

Odes celebratory and reflective and eloquent.

This ode I dedicate to itself, an ode to an ode,

May its words bear sweetly the brunt of its load.

Elevated sentiments sung with the voice of a lark,

An echo of its beauty left behind as indelible mark.

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Copyright © John Herlihy

Friday 2 January 2026