-- A Silent Voice --

By John Herlihy

Lord, hear the whisper of my words,

The awakening melodies of songbirds.

Lord, hear the beatings of my heart,

That I may rightly finish what I start.

Fill the silence that I sometimes feel,

Fill the void with the words I do steal.

Lend me the vision to awaken my soul,

To find within what makes me whole.

Let my poems serve as firmament,

The words as stars of commitment.

The starry dome turned upside down,

Not a single word wearing a frown.

Bless the words that I haltingly write,

Bless the whispers I hear in the night.

Give me a pen filled with blessed ink,

Fill my yearning heart up to the brink.

May these verses be filled with light,

The words be beautiful in your sight.

Visible to those who are not yet born,

In years to come, other hearts adorn.

Who made sure the lamps be lighted?

Who offered visions soon to be sighted?

A poet whose hope would never deceive,

A sole voice with a willingness to believe.

Response to the prayer, silence only,

Solitude comforting, the echo lonely.

Words as a flock of birds uplifting,

In vast lands on gentle winds drifting.

Always listen as the heart grows still,

In the stillness of the night, winter chill.

Over my dust and bones, sing, rejoice,

Once a living man with a silent voice.

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Copyright © John Herlihy

Sunday 23 April 2023