ALL THE WORLD WIDE
by John Herlihy

As a child I sat on the front porch for hours and hours;
Restless birds flew about like children amid the flowers.
Since the birth of creation, the sun always rises and sets,
Over the hem of the earth, over our hopes and our regrets.
The horizon lies in the distance beckoning with its fingers;
Oh, how the memory is still alive, its freshness still lingers.
What did I see but celestial orbs that would come and go;
The sun, moon and stars their luminous tapestry to bestow.
Aspirations and dreams in my heart to take seed and grow,
To become realities that in my life I would come to know.

Let there be no mistake, as I sat there I felt plenty scared;
I was just a kid after all, totally unsuited and ill-prepared.
But something was driving me forward, something inside,
To seek the unknown if it took me past all the world wide.
Thru travels across the years, I achieved a few little feats;
I have sat on many a horizon and simply dangled my feet.
Now the child within me still hears a soft beckoning call,
Still sees those venturesome fingers that held me in thrall.
A horizon of another kind has now come clearly into view;
A gleaming sun door awaits, the horizon will lead me thru.