-- Vulnerability of the Poet --

John Herlihy

We poets never know for sure,

If what we write makes sense.

Will these verses linger, endure,

Their honesty boasts no pretense.

In a creative effort to compose,

Lies the vulnerability of the poet.

His great asset hidden in repose,

But his weakness never knows it.

Certainty finds no room to sway,

Whereas doubt breathes in hope.

Certainly leads us in only one way,

Vulnerability climbs a rugged slope.

Flaws may vanish, a poem endure,

Drawn of the heart as essence pure.

- - - - - -

(c) John Herlihy 1 June 2020