Lost, Then Found
By John Herlihy

I once found myself lost in a vast wilderness,
Content with the blessing of Nature’s presence,
Canyons and cliffs closed in from all sides,
Thorny bushes grew wild next to rotting animal hides.
Occasionally, I stumbled on rocks and animal bones,
The dry breath of air seemed to hum faint tones.
Distant mountains beckoned from a horizon of promise;
Pillow clouds floated across the blue sky at their calmest.
The occasional bird flew by looking scruffy and askew;
Even the sun-baked lizards numbered less than a few.
The wind howls thru canyons and never seems to cease;
There is a quiet feeling of solitude, but very little peace.
The stars made blind by the brilliance of emerging day;
The moon, a forlorn crescent, just slipping guiltily away.
Heavy boulders span the valley with a make-shift bridge,
Where I can sit and imagine myself on the distant ridge.
Where once I felt lost, I am now feeling all but found,
My soul not abandoned on earth, but rising Heaven-bound.