This Side of Bliss
By John Herlihy

The poor woman ran ragged after a tumultuous day;
The work, heat, shopping and cooking all in the way.
Now, the night shutters drawn as the day is finally done;
Destiny builds her cocoon as her life’s threads are spun.

The mother leaned over the bed for her goodnight kiss.
What have I ever done, she thought, to earn such bliss?
For one brief moment, she felt that nothing could matter;
Nothing could take away this heartbeat of blissful patter.

The silken blue eyes stared from a body sweetly fudgy;
Later he would lose his baby fat, but now he was pudgy.
The moon-full cheeks, the angel face, the puckered lips;
She drinks this fountain of happiness with tender sips.

There are moments in life we remember as alone ours,
Lifted aloft for a brief second in time to gilded towers.
Oh, how her mind went blank as her full heart fluttered,
Lost to the sounds of contentment that her soul muttered.

As she leaned over his face, she felt a breath of wind;
On the night table, she noticed a slice of orange rind.
Sweet dreams, she whispered, as she planted her kiss;
Tonight all is right in the world with nothing amiss.