Seriously Hard
By John Herlihy

Life can sometimes be seriously hard;
Small wonder that I often feel like a retard.
As an infant, I cooed like a dove, but not walk;
I had many things to say, but I couldn’t talk.
As a toddler, I rushed but could never wait;
As if in a hurry to unroll the scroll of my fate.
As a child, everything seemed far too big;
The world always asking me to dance a jig.
Then I was ten years old, beginning to feel bold,
Sprouting wings, but my unfolding life still on hold.
Young enough to feel as free as a rolling stone;
Not old enough to venture forth into the unknown.
At thirteen, the scourge of puberty had finally set in;
My body on fire with desire and everything was a sin.
My limbs extended, my hair grew like a burning bush.
I sometimes failed and ended up sitting on my tush.

I decided it was time for me to set out on my own,
Attending a boarding school like a speckled roan.
Wrapped within the cocoon of a well-protected life,
Far from my brothers and the turmoil of family strife.
I eventually got accepted at a respected university,
Aiming for a degree that would lead me to infinity.
A hard-earned ticket to guarantee a career worth living,
As a teacher educating the young as my way of giving.
Fifty years have now gone by like a feather in the wind,
I count the years of my life by the places I cannot rescind.
Two years in Brussels drew me into the world of French;
Two years in Germany did not my thirst for travel quench.
Two years in Egypt, one in Libya, then three in Kuwait;
I collected countries in my pocket as added freight.
I stayed in one place for a while, but then couldn’t wait
To visit the lush tropics of Malaysia as Heaven’s gate.

Now I am old and life continues to be seriously hard,
Although my life has turned me into a wise old bard.
I sing of my adventures and will continue to insist
On journeying to that final destination I cannot resist.