-- HOMESICKNESS --

John Herlihy

I find my home in the midst of the adventures I have,

To see things I never imaged I would come to know,

To roam thru the poppy fields on the plains of Antalya,

To float down the Danube thru villages in Rumania.

As I wander into the deepest regions of foreign soil,

My heart burns in a flame as if seeing my native lands.

Whether across mountain peaks or in turgid waters boil,

Whether across African savannahs or the Arabian Sands.

I found refuge in Buddhist temples in their courtyard,

Found serenity in the mihrab of many Islamic mosques.

I have prayed under the dome of St. Peter’s cathedral,

And found rest in the cells of Greek Orthodox monasteries.

My soul has been tempered by all that I have seen;

My body a vessel shaped by the Divine Potter’s hand.

My eyes witnessed nature when all the world gleamed;

My feet have taken fruitful journeys across many a land.

How many times did I bid people and places farewell?

Goodbye to all the cities and towns across my path.

How many places to come to that no one can foretell?

Only a hand on my heart will be my thanks as epitaph.

No loneliness has stalked me in the depths of my heart,

No roots sunk deep enough that can keep me at bay.

A sense of wonder always fills me whenever I depart,

A new city, new country, there on the horizon in display.

Oh, give me the inviting eye of a passing stranger,

Let me pluck the tulips of Rotterdam, Bruges and Ghent.

Let me trek one last time thru virgin forest like a ranger,

Fill the cavern of my heart with all that nature has lent.

“Homesickness?” Someone asked as I took my leave.

My home I always take with me wherever I roam.

Ask me to stay at home and I would begin to grieve,

Down one last street, one more corner, lies home.

Perhaps I will never find what I constantly search for,

Any more than I can capture the silent breeze of night.

Into the unknown I gladly pursue what I have yearned for,

A kiss from a breath of wind, the fading blush of twilight.

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(c) John Herlihy 5 November 2019