-- We Speak in Conditionals --

John Herlihy

We speak of reality,

As if we had a finger on its pulse.

We speak of spirituality,

As if we cared little for its results.

We speak of heaven,

As if we really knew what it meant.

We speak of hell,

As if it were the source of our discontent.

We speak of time,

As if it really is what it seems.

We speak of eternity,

As if we knew what it truly means.

We speak of the heart,

As if it were the source of our humanity.

We speak of the soul,

As if it were the source of our immortality.

We speak of light,

As if we never knew true darkness.

We speak of darkness,

As if we never knew true light.

We speak of hope,

As if it were the sealant in our dreams.

We speak of despair,

As if it were as tree sap in our seams.

We speak of life,

As if we had it at our command.

We speak of death,

As if it were an inevitable reprimand.

We speak in uncertainties,

As if we were fated to live amid mystery.

We speak in conditionals,

As if we knew of no true reality.

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(c) John Herlihy 3 February 2020