-- The Poet Alone --

by John Herlihy

The poet seeks to transcend the poem

The poem itself merely a kind of totem

The verses lay bare more than words

Resonating the chirping of ancient birds

To protect the kernel inside the husk

To perfume the poem’s soul with musk

The poet finds himself as a man apart

Alone, adrift, wondering how to start

As if unveiling a mystery on his own

Finding the spirit of a mystery to own

Seeking a means that lies beyond time

Echoing harmonies found within rhyme

Weaving rhythms from strings of a rope

Balancing realities of despair and hope

Seized as he is by some superior power

While taking note of minutes to the hour

The solitary poet is not ever truly alone

As he carves sweetness into brittle bone

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Copyright © John Herlihy

Sunday 6 September 2024