All About the Sky
By John Herlihy

Sometimes the sky is oh so high,
As when flocks of birds seem out of reach as they fly,
In the distance on their road to somewhere far away,
Leaving on their own terms, not arriving here to stay.

Sometimes the sky is oh so low,
As when somber clouds pass by with eerie shadows in tow,
Hanging over our heads like pillows on display,
The clouds consume the land as they go on their way.

Sometimes the sky is oh so close,
As when multitudes of stars left us feeling morose.
The dark plate of night seems within finger reach;
Our hearts are aflutter and our hopes do beseech.

Sometimes the sky is oh so far,
As when as far away as the most distant star.
The earth rises up like an animal at our feet;
The heavens remote and in passing declines to greet.

Sometimes the sky is oh so fierce,
As with mighty storms abrewing, our fearful hearts to pierce,
A monster so big it can steal away the light of day,
As it crawls over the horizon, you think it is here to stay.

Sometimes the sky is oh so mild,
As when its sweet benevolence looks down upon us and smiled.
Then we reach up and try to catch the unravelling scroll,
Whose message becomes imprinted within the heart’s beating atoll.

Sometimes the sky offers itself, mine only mine,
The glorious wonder turns into a sea caught in time.
Behold the sky, there for the asking, a gift bestowed, it is ours;
Its moody reflections reveal secrets in the passing of the hours.