-- Living with Mystery --
John Herlihy
Living with mystery,
Enigmatic, familiar.
Everywhere we see,
Unknowns peculiar.
Nature’s rhythms pure,
Our earth’s axis at a tilt.
The sun rises, sets sure,
Flowers bloom, but wilt.
The human person born,
Conscious mind and will.
Out of nothingness torn,
Exploring mysteries still.
Children thieves of time,
They have what they want.
Seeking happiness sublime,
Their innocence they flaunt.
Soon we darken, mature,
Lose our innocence no less.
What we become, we endure,
Forgetting mystery we possess.
Old age will have us remember,
All the essentials we did forget.
Our life now a smoldering ember,
Always wary of lingering regret.
On the edges of mystery lies night,
Veils we must lift to feel enraptured.
Within the heart of mystery lies light,
When exposed reveals light captured.
- - - - - -
(c) John Herlihy 2 April 2020
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All the essentials we did forget.
Our life now a smoldering ember," was difficult to embrace. Yes, some essentials are forgotten, but I am living with much of my memory (thank doG) and am anything but a smoldering ember at 85. I often share with my wife that this period of old age is the time when all experiences come into focus and I find that all the negative times were there for a lesson. Fortunately, most are learned and being exercised in a productive way. For me, your last stanza captures this reader's focus on the remaining years: On the edges of mystery lies night,
Veils we must lift to feel enraptured.
Within the heart of mystery lies light,
When exposed reveals light captured.
We’re all guilty of sleeping through life until we finally open our mince pies.