- My Life on Paper -

By John Herlihy

I have lived the better part of my long life on paper;

In the anonymity of written words, I feel much safer.

The life that I live in person at times seems mundane;

I work hard, go about my business, try to remain sane.

The writer in me exposes my heart for what it is worth;

I simply take my pen in hand and the words pour forth.

It is not the I within me but the ghostly muse that writes;

Pen in hand, I close my eyes to record her bright lights.

In person, I was never able to show any of my true feelings;

Instead, I wrote them down, then went about my dealings.

The hidden emotions lay there quietly in black and white;

In the telling. I give shape to what I think wrong and right.

I wish to hold nothing back as I am releasing my true voice;

With the poem finally done, I come to my senses to rejoice.

I have given something away as the words sit on the page;

The poems written by another, as I look back from old age.

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(c) John Herlihy January 2019