-- In the Coda of My Life --

John Herlihy

In the coda of my life – fortissimo,

Ocean waves crashing on the shore.

Harmonious cords sound on the piano,

Until wave and note exist no more.

In the coda of my life – the adagio,

The greatest gift that sets us apart.

To experience, no to feel moon glow,

To live, not in the mind, but in the heart.

In the coda of my life – pianissimo,

Blessing shower into the realm of solitude.

Until silence arrives to sing its solo,

To settle down into the arms of quietude.

In the coda of my life – basso profundo,

Our destinies marked by a flaw, wound, scar.

Outside of myself, the world lives, winds blow,

While inside, unknowns behind the mask mar.

In the coda of my life – glissando,

Sounding drums find rhythm in the beat.

The heart hums the notes of its tempo, aficionado,

Drum-a-dum-dum sounds the heart beat.

In the coda of my life – arpeggios,

In the last minutes and hours, harmonies.

The day passing by in leisurely tempos,

With greater attention to life’s mysteries.

In the coda of my life – crescendo,

Exposed, scared, the thunder rolling.

Then sad melancholy filled with innuendo,

In the darkness of night, a bell tolling.

In the coda of my life – legato,

Seeing the last time as if for the first time.

The coda notes held for their full value in tenuto,

Bumblebee, butterfly, firefly ever onward – all sublime.

In the coda of my life – solitano,

To be home at home, with oneself at home.

To applaud one’s life and give thanks, bravissimo,

To live in contentment under Heaven’s dome.

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Copyright © John Herlihy

Saturday 11 March 2023