The Mystery of Unknown Places
By John Herlihy

The mystery of unknown places
Intrigue us with their inviting faces.
Life’s road could lead us nowhere;
Life’s desire may trap us anywhere;
Life’s end will take us somewhere.

First there is nowhere,
As mysterious as the night,
As forthcoming as the day,
As secret as the whispered lie,
As intimate as the blue of the sky.

Then there is anywhere,
As random as flames licking cold stones,
As final as the crackling of old bones,
As promising as the distant horizon,
As predatory as the African lion.

Finally there is somewhere,
As distant as a mountain’s peak,
As close as the grass at my feet,
As enticing as that winking star,
As near as that door now ajar.

For some that road leads anywhere;
For others that road leads nowhere;
For me that road leads somewhere;
For the curious anywhere is somewhere;
For the lonely somewhere is nowhere.

Nowhere and anywhere harbor potential;
Nowhere and somewhere are quintessential.
The road to nowhere lies paved for the meek;
The road to anywhere is saved for the weak;
The road to somewhere is what I truly seek.