Lost and Found
By John Herlihy

I
Some things are lost and will never be found;
Yesterday’s happiness has been run aground,
Like an old piece of driftwood slowly carved by water’s hand,
Now laying discarded and partially covered by the shifting sand.
A long lost sadness whose cause you can’t even remember,
A striking achievement that has now been dismembered.
Gone are the friends who extended their trust for a time,
Vanished into the mist with a mournful sounding of a chime.
Even the loved ones have taken their leave and departed,
Leaving in their wake the feeling of being broken-hearted.

II
Some things are found and will never be lost.
The moon still rises faithfully and tracks its customary course,
The setting sun causes twilight and darkness with no sense of remorse.
Day follows upon night with the certitude of the stars,
The seasons ask no questions and leave behind no scars.
Pastoral footpaths and forested pathways harbor secrets very nearly told,
And in the darkness of the night lurk perils with the patience of the old.
Now that everything I once valued has been completely lost,
I have room for the one thing of value that needed to be found,
To be touched by a solitary peace by letting go, now unbound.