Mirror Poems

-- How Can Such Emptiness Fill Me –

John Herlihy

The night-blackened sky,

And the cloudless blue sky,

On these things we do rely.

How can such emptiness fill me?

The one-eyed moon,

In the darkest dead of night,

How it shimmers its mythic light.

How can such beauty fill me?

In my troubled mind,

These meager drops of hope,

For an unfolding future, kind.

How can such mystery fill me?

Nothing goes as planned,

The open doors all jammed,

Nothing really makes any sense.

How can such confusion fill me?

Looking into the future,

All the endless tomorrows,

Even the road lost in the mist.

How can such vagueness fill me?

Without a thought to spare,

On the blank page I stare,

Without the courage to dare.

Will another poem ever fill me?

-- Never Can Such Fulness Empty Me –

John Herlihy

The desert silence absolute,

Quiet its endearing attribute,

Dust devils whisper in the wind,

Never can such fulness empty me.

The mountain valley blooms lush,

The wind blows them with its brush,

A church bell tolls the hour’s hush,

Never can such fulness empty me.

The forest pine smells sweet,

Trees in silence each other greet,

Butterflies on tree limbs alight,

Never can such fulness empty me.

The meadow filled with poppies,

Each one waving their silly head,

Petals opened wide, blushing red,

Never can such fulness empty me.

Finally, one day by surprise,

Yet another dawn did arise,

My heart tickled by a feather,

Never can such fulness empty me.

Spring water sparkled sheer light,

The water tasted, fresh, sweet,

Cold as ice on the coldest night,

Never can such fulness empty me.

Squeezed thru a heart sieve,

A delicate poem begins to live,

Like a bud awaiting its bloom,

Never can such fulness empty me.

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Copyright © John Herlihy

Saturday 19 February 2022