Terra Incognita
By John Herlihy

The allure of fascination,
The trepidation of fear,
Terra incognita,
I feel its presence near.

Vast and unknown,
There is nothing visibly shown.
The interest of cartographers,
In pursuit, the earth to roam.

The unmapped land stirs magical delight;
Map-makers fill it with faint traces.
Monsters and fiends with ugly faces,
Wander the mountains to incredible heights.

The mystery of the unknown,
The secret of all desire,
Terra incognita,
Beware of sinking into the mire.

The lure of terra incognita is always there,
Tantalizing its way with feelings most rare.
The curious mind searching for contentment,
Hoping to receive an enriching enlightenment.

I hear the voices of angels,
Members of the celestial choir.
The Unseen beckons me from the distance,
I feel very little resistance.

Terra incognita no longer exists;
The world is fully vested.
Its garments trail into the wind;
The invasion we cannot rescind.

Terra incognita still exists;
It continues to lie within.
Vast and insurmountable,
We meet it shyly with a grin.

The unknown holds us in its grip;
At every step, we risk making a slip.
We have no idea what is in store;
Terra incognita lies behind the door.

We have conquered all our fears;
We pay lip service to the unknown.
Still terra incognita lies in wait,
To seal our precarious fate.