Wishes and Dreams
By John Herlihy

Long ago, I gave up on wishes;
Dreams are what make my day.
I have given up forever pretending,
That wishes will change my way.

Wishes are not realistic;
They are idle and vain.
I wish until I feel fatalistic;
Then I end up feeling only pain.

I wish for a pot full of money;
I am a bear wishing for honey,
Pots of it galore, honey and money,
Hoping to make my world sunny.

Sometimes I dream of a world,
Where I do everything with all my might,
Where I am ready all injustice to fight,
Where blessing covers everything in sight.

But that is a dream worth dreaming,
Not just the makings of a forced weaning.
I now know better than to ever wish,
For something that life can simply squish.

Ah, but dreams will live on forever;
They enrich our every endeavor.
When we die and cash in our chips,
The spirit exiting thru our trembling lips.

Only our earthly dreams will be broken,
As we leave behind what our lives betoken.
Then our souls will not be forsaken,
Into our dreams, we will awaken.