Wind, Breath, Spirit
By John Herlihy

I
Hell, you cannot see it;
But you know it is there.
The wind in the willows,
From the breath of nature arose,
Blowing something fierce,
With unearthly cries to pierce.
Through lightning and thunder,
Leaving us gaping in wonder,
Full of sight and sound,
Although I see nothing around.
It whistles, howls, wheezes, whines,
The breath of its fingers caress the pines.

II
Hey, you cannot see it;
But you know it is there.
The breath that gives life,
Born from the eternal night.
Rhythmically infusing,
Into a multitude of cells.
The life-giving properties,
From a realm where miracle dwells.
We humans preach, orate, sing,
Because of the force of the breath.
It sustains us for a lifetime,
Until the moment of our death.

III
Behold, you cannot see it;
But you know it is there.
The Spirit that lives on,
Born of the eternal light.
It creates and preserves
What each person deserves.
It protects and saves
The entire universe it pervades.
When the soul becomes lost,
The Spirit’s mercy never exhausts.
The Spirit infuses the soul
With a richness to make it whole.