Solitude
By John Herlihy

I always take solitude with me wherever I go,
Its phantom presence with mercy to bestow.
Over the years, solitude is my closest friend,
Its endearing quiet stays with me to the end.
In a maddening crowd, solitude always there,
A kind of guardian angel my misery to spare.
Some think solitude the brother of loneliness,
I think of loneliness as the enemy of solitude.

The wild beast in me appreciates wild solitude,
The silence of Mother Nature offers plenitude.
In the quiet of solitude we know what we have;
In humming din, we know what we don’t have.
Never a stranger and never an uninvited guest;
Its lasting peace represents solitude at its best.
Even in the thick of life, I always return home,
To all the solitude I have ever in my life known.

Solitude never brings with it a sense of regret,
Wrapped lovingly in its arms, nothing to suspect.
All the turmoil of the world lost in solitude’s care;
In the folds of solitude’s drape, we do sorrow bare.
In my final days, I still have my solitude to savor;
In a solitary life, solitude bestows unique flavor.
Solitude teaches us of when, where, and why,
Its peace will open the sun door when we die.