-- Young Love –

John Herlihy

What is this feeling never felt before,

Young love, budding bliss and more.

Sea waves cresting on the shore of me,

Vision cannot contain all I wish to see.

Head swirling, body craving affection,

Fingers as wind with gentle inflection.

Intimacy entering consecrated space,

Two youths gaze into each other’s face.

Passionate kisses being swallowed whole,

Sublime discovery of entering the soul.

No ghosts in the eyes, the dream is real,

A surprise guest another’s heart to steal.

Young wine with textures crisp and floral,

Young faces sing a song in harmony, choral.

No remedy needed, but only to love more,

A kind of disease only more love can cure.

-- Old Love –

John Herlihy

What is this feeling never felt before,

Old love, an aged vine, wise and pure.

Old love to repair a heart once broken,

Old love that feels as if newly awoken.

First love, last love, not young, not old,

In any season love a beautiful story told.

Revisit all of love’s frantic high and lows,

This time feeling mellow, like aged bows.

Ready to exploit lessons long ago taught,

Ready with insights if compromise sought.

Two people coming together as if one soul,

Young love could never be this story told.

A matured wine now settled in an old cask,

The aged faces have now lifted their mask.

The remedy for love lost is to love more,

A kind of disease only more love can cure.

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Copyright © John Herlihy

Thursday 2 September 2021