-- Lonely the Brave --

John Herlihy

Lonely indeed the battlefield of the individual,

That begins from the first dawn of the first day.

Precious indeed all the efforts of the individual,

That will continue to mount til the very last day.

We face an invisible enemy armed naked and alone,

Each one of us vulnerable, regardless of our power.

We face each day bravely, but in our hearts we atone,

As we brace to meet the unknown in the coming hour.

Time hangs heavy, evil winds linger, our spirits sag;

The days pass one by one in a monotonous parade.

We keep silent, cling to our hopes, and never brag;

Days far gone when we played our games of charade.

Lonely indeed the battlefield now fought in the mind,

That swings as a pendulum between hope and despair.

This battlefield leads us into a terrain of another kind;

We bow our heads in humility, to offer a private prayer;

First, we speak to ourselves in a brave voice, I can do this;

We are human, we are brave, we are noble, we are one.

A dark side hovers in shadows, gone the feeling of bliss,

As we realize our thoughts from light and darkness spun.

We become less sure, our fears float, in the mind panic;

Our feelings of surety vanished as mist, our certitude rare.

We have moments we see flashing lights and feel manic;

Indeed, lonely the brave I think to myself, but never share.

Lonely indeed, the battlefield now bravely in the soul fought;

In deepest recesses of being, our true selves come to light.

We need to dig far deeper to mine what cannot be bought;

Even if it takes us far afield into the deepest, darkest night.

Our souls are as the moon that first waxes and then wanes,

Our hopes, fears, uncertainties but shadows that disappear.

Our soul as an ocean surging to a crest til nothing remains,

Left behind the seeds of our efforts as good will to reappear.

We are the soul, the soul our essence, and yet the soul wavers;

The best of ourselves, our true st self, unveils what makes us brave.

Indeed, we are the soul, soul essence, and yet the soul savers,

The mercy, the light and love of God, all the blessings that save.

Lonely the brave who face each day in faith and surrender;

In facing death, they pay the price and understand the cost.

Lonely the brave who serve others in order to remember;

Do to others as they would do to you, on every path crossed.

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(c) John Herlihy 14 May 2020