The Absence of . . .
By John Herlihy

The absence of love leaves an ominous wake,
That trails into the past, leaving your heart to break.

The absence of trust cuts our connecting rope,
Unravelling as a ball of yarn leaving us little scope.

The absence of balance truly upends the scales;
Life’s train has left the station and is now off the rails.

The absence of mercy shows how little we understand;
We wish mercy only for ourselves, at our own command.

The absence of compassion leaves in us a gaping hole;
Hardness of heart is further reflected in darkness of soul.

The absence of tolerance shows us only a mirror broken,
Intolerance in counterpoint to what tolerance may betoken.

The absence of patience breaks down our protective wall,
The poetry of our lives turns into a faint, illegible scrawl.

The absence of happiness makes us realize what we miss,
The blessings we never recognized as being heavenly bliss.

The absence of hope gives ample room for lasting despair;
Depression seizes our hearts until they are beyond repair.

The absence of certitude can only add to our lingering doubt;
The desert within us will finally turn into an eternal drought.

Everything gets lost, missed, forsaken in the finality of absence;
As a state of absence awakens our thoughts to Abiding Presence.