-- The Golden Rule -–

By John Herlihy

When the fluff and flutter of childhood fell away,

When images faded into the past of a child at play,

When I unwound my innocence as thread on a spool,

I finally came to realize the importance of the Golden Rule.

We walk thru a precarious life along a two-edged sword;

Whatever we end up doing, we fully expect a just reward.

But many deeds earn condemnation rather than praise;

Unwanted desires create undesirable settings in the haze.

I naively led myself down into deep caverns, caves, cellars;

I have ended up associating myself with loathsome fellas.

The two-edged sword can lead down tributaries most fowl,

Surveying fields of opportunity like a panther on the prowl.

There but for the grace of God I find myself further amiss,

In dungeons and caves, unlikely venues to enjoy life’s bliss.

Only to realize I had overstepped the edge of myself, lost,

My loss of true identity a knowledge achieved at great cost.

Alas, I need not sound so dramatic, life not just desperation;

The two-edged sword can lead down pathways of dispensation.

On one hand, devious, conniving, treacherous, faithless, unholy;

On the other hand, honest, forthwith, faithful, a soul wise, holy.

The choices we make in life at first have but little consequence,

Until we see a trajectory leading toward desperate recompense.

A seemingly one-way street, the way of perdition as a sinner,

Bereft of all the virtues and strengths that lie potentially inner.

The inner conscience poses the eternal question: Who am I?

Answers across the millennia rejected as worthless by the inner I.

Each of us must find an answer, the only answer worth giving voice,

A truly human answer that will justify the nobility of free choice.

There came a time in my life when I embraced the Golden Rule;

The gathering of golden threads that will seal our fate on life’s spool.

And what is that Golden Rule that leads into the eternity of the hour?

A way of living and of life to reflect the wisdom of God’s infinite power.

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(c) John Herlihy 28 November 2018