These Poems
By John Herlihy

These poems are driving me mad;
Sometimes, they leave me just feeling sad.
They come like a guest uninvited,
Acting like children wanting to be knighted.
They often seem to come from great distance,
Crossing vast oceans with some insistence.
I cannot stop them from establishing their ground,
Right there in my heart feeling safe and sound.
Occasionally they behave like naughty children,
Who want to have their say, but don’t listen.
If they didn’t take it upon themselves to arrive,
I am not sure any longer how I could possibly survive.
If their presence means that sometimes I am mad or sad,
Then I accept all the emotions, especially feeling glad,
That they have taken up residence in my backyard.