Robbed of Our Beliefs
By John Herlihy

In early childhood,
In the world of enchantment,
In the full mystery of our new lives,
We gather together a multitude of beliefs,
That help us to preserve a dream that thrives,
Beliefs that wrap us up in their protective cocoon,
Dreams that carry with them their own scent and bloom.

In late childhood,
In the world of fantasy,
In the innocent world of dreams,
Peter Pan would be nothing without Tinker Bell.
Santa rode in his sleigh as we fell under his magic spell.
The tooth fairy with butterfly wings had promises to keep.
Who could forget one’s beloved invisible friend and not weep.

There comes a time,
In the world of enchantment,
In the full awakening of our changing lives.
Our elfin beliefs begin to shatter into broken pieces,
As we begin to understand the meaning of compromise.
The impulse to love begins to wrap us in shadows of hate.
As we come to learn that everything has its opposing mate.

In the era of adulthood,
In the stark world of reality,
In the unfolding mystery of our destiny,
We gather together a pragmatic system of beliefs,
That helps us to establish a course of action with equity.
We need to be grounded in first principles that fully matter,
That steer the course and do not like glass fall down and shatter.

In the old age of our time,
In the world of fading illusions,
In the revelation of our diminishing lives.
Certain beliefs begin to wither that no longer thrive
Illusions and dreams whose truisms disappear into the mist.
A thief roams slyly in the wings in the perilous night of our time,
He steals what we no longer need, while I keep what I earned as mine.