-- Questions Someone Asked --
by John Herlihy
What do you want to know?
I want to know what life means.
What do you say about love?
A feeling bursting at the seams.
What do you dream of?
I dream of tomorrow.
What do you wish to set aside?
Any lingering feelings of sorrow.
What will happen tomorrow?
No one can tell.
Will you accept what happens?
As ringing accepted by a bell.
What do you hope for?
My worthy day to be filled.
What do you long for?
My restless heart to be stilled.
What do you do with lies?
I think of them as nothing.
What do you do with truths?
I think of them as everything.
What story do you tell?
A story to listen to and hear.
What story do you never tell?
A story another cannot bear.
What do you do to be brave?
I rely on my fortitude.
Where do you go to be alone?
I withdraw into myself in solitude.
Who do you honor?
Everyone.
Who do you never forgive?
No one.
What do you do with hardship?
I endeavor to endure.
What do you do with striving?
I make every effort pure.
What do you do with sound?
I hear its rhythmic melody.
What do you do with silence?
I hear its revealing mystery.
What will you do when all is done?
I will open one last door.
Where will you go when life is over?
Beyond earth’s horizon to a distant shore.
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Copyright ©John Herlihy
Sunday 7 March 2024
But I don't believe that AI will ever answer basic philosophical questions like what is love? What is the meaning of life? And where do I go when I die? It will only be able to search all knowledge of many human philosophers and give the answers that they have come up with… All of them flawed largely because as you put in your poem, we can't predict the future exactly.
Ron