-- HOW CARELESS, HOW CAREFUL –

John Herlihy

How do we probe obscure reasoning,

Without seeing what lies in plain sight?

How do we flavor things with spicy seasoning,

Without noticing things revealed by simple light?

How do we speculate on the future so distant,

Without understanding memories of the past?

How do we imagine impossibilities insistent,

Without appreciating the possibilities that last?

How do we dwell on life’s injustices and miseries,

Without taking into account all of life’s blessing?

How do we delve into the annals of world histories,

Without handling all the problems that need addressing?

How do we search for the key to life’s mysteries,

Without their unfathomable secrets being revealed?

How do we hope to fathom the stars and their infinities,

Without discovering the unseen that exists tightly sealed?

How do we tiptoe thru the wealth of our feelings,

Without exploring the depths of our varied emotions?

How do we hover as flies on the surface of our dealings.

Without ever committing ourselves to any true devotions?

How do we gather endless reams of factual knowledge,

Without ever tapping the wisdom that comes with age?

How do we think we can flee over the horizon’s edge,

Without reading our destinies as braille upon life’s page?

How do we allow ourselves all the essentials to forget,

While neglecting the one thing essential to remember?

How do we allow ourselves to fall into the pit of regret,

When true solace lies in the heart as a burning ember?

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Copyright © John Herlihy

Wednesday 22 June 2022