Life’s Reason
By John Herlihy

Life needs a reason,
As does harvest have a season,
A key tucked away in a pocket,
Idle for now, but never forgotten.
As vital to me as my inner eye,
That understands the reason why.
It lies there quietly inside.
When I need it, it opens wide.

Life has a reason;
It is there for the asking.
We live our lives day by day,
Without a moment to spare.
The spider spins its own thread
And lives along its own thin line.
The flower produces golden honey,
Safely protected by its pointed thorns.

Life finds a reason,
Where there was none before.
We think we go empty-handed,
Then find a reason on our own.
A reason can lie hidden the while,
A precious gem lodged in a rock.
With no reason, life is thrown away,
Because of a hole in the old sock.

Beware a life without a reason,
A precious gem never discovered.
Embedded within surrounding rock.
Think of a life without any true value;
Think of a life without any true hope.
Such reasons as love, loyalty, and trust,
A multitude of reasons can make a life,
To forge destiny with a sharpened knife.