Worlds On Offer
By John Herlihy

I want little of what the world has to offer,
Just give me the sun, moon and the stars.
Content with treasures I have in my coffer,
On our journey to realms far beyond Mars.

My earthly experiences written in shorthand,
They have their value, often born of a whim.
With no need to know my future beforehand,
What the world has to offer shines ever dim.

Someone told us to pursue success and fame;
Goals are important, without them we are adrift.
Our true identify cannot be discovered in a name;
Marque lights shine brightly, but have little lift.

Others tell us we have only one life ours to live;
One life that we can claim as only ours to give.
What if that life were only a piece of the puzzle,
A brief moment to signify our depth of struggle.

What if our life but a one cornered dimension;
Once filled, we are lifted up high in suspension.
Why do we lock ourselves into the earthly box,
Content to take part in a school of hard knocks.

Then there is the perennial question of the end,
What happens as we come round the final bend?
Why do we ponder the question of our end at all?
Final answers make no sense, only cast a pall.

Let us accept graciously what the world has to offer,
Without thinking that this world is the only one that be.
Let us turn within to examine what the soul may proffer;
We may be surprised to discover the glory we might see.