Not Another Mystery
By John Herlihy

Not another mystery,
You wonder, feeling annoyed.
Not another promise
That will never be employed.
Not another question
That has no answer seemingly true .
Not another answer
With no relation to you.
Not another failure
That you cannot possibly bear.
Not another challenge
Life’s adventure has to spare.
Not another sadness
To simply tear you apart.
Not another happiness
To randomly fill your heart.
Not another problem
That cannot possibly be solved.
Not another solution
That has nothing resolved.
Not another dream
With its false hope
Not another temptation
With its frayed rope

I expect nothing I wait for still,
I only seek to discover God’s will.
Give me nothing I don’t deserve,
What I’ve earned, I will surely conserve.
Give me no sorrow I cannot bear,
Flinging me into the well of despair.
Give me no happiness merely frivolous,
Better to perform good deeds virtuous.
Give me nothing I haven’t asked for,
I don’t want anything I truly abhor.
Give me no peace I haven’t earned,
Mistakes happened when I haven’t learned.
Give me no war from some enemy espied,
The horror of war can never be justified.
Give me no inclination to worry or fear,
The remembrance of God will keep Him near.
Give me no doubt that could lead to despair,
Only the impulse to kneel in prayer.
Give me no feeling of total abandonment,
Only the solace of God’s sweet contentment.