Relief

by John Herlihy

The worry, the anxiety,

The despair, the dread,

A living death as reality,

Just shadows in my head.

The beginning of the end,

No possibility of any hope.

The end more end to lend,

Slow drag on a steep slope.

Then, something happened,

A happening out of the blue.

Something never reckoned,

I didn’t know, now I knew.

Awakening into new dawn,

From darkness to dawn light.

Clear traces of hope drawn,

From the ink of moonlight.

There was a newness to him,

A freshness that was glowing.

A new certainty within him,

There to confirm his knowing.

Relief, as if lit from within,

Dread to drown in shadows.

A sad face filled with a grin,

A voice to sing like sparrows.

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Copyright © John Herlihy

Thursday 17 April 2025