Ageless Surfaces
By John Herlihy

Through ages, ancient surfaces call;
Endurance and variety tells us all.

The cold touch of porcelain,
The smooth beauty of marble,
The colored bouquet of the rainbow,
The raw sensitivity of human flesh,
The cracked dryness of sun-bleached bone.
The ancient rings of aging wood,
The burr knots of a tree trunk,
The soft delicacy of feathers,
The translucent tissue of the flower petal,
The rough gravel of the macadam,
The watery surface of the sea,
The tree-blanketed verdure of the hills,
The blue lake of the noonday sky,
The black plate of midnight darkness,
The glittering shards of light in crystal,
The knife-like edges of cut diamond,
The velvety texture of silk,
The creamy richness of milk,
The hypnotic draw of precious gems,
The grand stateliness of flower stems,
The undulating sands of the desert,
The fading transparency of the mirage,
The scorching brightness of the sun,
The haunting reflection of the moon,
The elusive twinkle of starlight,
The velvety texture of the night.

Ancient surfaces of the ages remain still;
They have never changed and never will.