The Farewell
By John Herlihy

The time has arrived to bid farewell;
The story draws to a close.
There is nothing left to tell;
Nothing further of value to propose.

We have made our farewells;
One to many, truth to tell.
Seemingly a hundred thousand times;
Never the same and none of them rhymes.

Everything seems to be closing down;
There are very few friends left around.
Now I find friends in unexpected places;
They appear, then disappear, leaving no traces.

I take no leave of solitude;
It is the one friend I still keep.
It awakens me in the morning.
And follows me around until I sleep.

My loneliness I have freely given away;
Being alone is a small price to pay.
If it forces a person to live with oneself,
Rather than inventing lies and living by stealth.

I have given up bodily pleasures,
Even if they desperately want to stay.
My mind and heart store secret treasures;
In my dotage, I refuse to give them away.

I convey a secret to the morning breeze;
On wings, it carries clear to the horizon,
Where my secret can quietly rest at ease,
All earthly cares of the world to shun.

Until that final farewell,
When I pass thru earth’s door,
Having already given everything up,
I wonder if there is anything more?