Nothing As Sad

by John Herlihy

Nothing as sad as the sadness of a child,

The tears flow freely as if from emotions wild.

We don’t expect to see a child lost to tears,

Happy the days should be in their youthful years.

Yet they too have feelings often difficult to bear,

In their innocence, before bed, they kneel in prayer.

They give themselves to the sad emotion with abandon,

Touched by misery that is anything but random.

They feel things much more than what they think,

Their thoughts race on with a nod and a wink.

Sadness washes over them like waves on a shore,

Only to flow back into the ocean and return no more.

Then suddenly, they perk up and begin again to smile,

Forgetting that they have passed thru this harsh trial.

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Copyright © John Herlihy

Thursday 1 May 2025