Many Faces
by John Herlihy
Face of the praying mantis, prayerful.
The face of the sunflower, bountiful.
The face of the mountain, magisterial.
The face of ragged cliffs, adversarial.
The face of the chipmunk, impish.
The face of the squirrel, wimpish.
The face of the panther, elusive.
The face of the wolf, conclusive.
The face of the donkey, shy.
The face of the stallion, wry.
The face of the dog, showing.
The face of the cat, knowing.
The face of the monkey, ugly.
The face of the gorilla, stately.
The face of the turtle, patient.
The face of the barn owl, wise.
The face of mystery, inscrutable.
The face of divinity, immutable.
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Copyright ©John Herlihy
Saturday 28 June 2025
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It's interesting that you picked the barn owl with its very interesting face. One day, while leaving our wooded City 40 (40 acres set aside in each square mile for a school that wasn’t used) I came upon a barn owl in a tree, on a branch about 12 feet high, directly above me. The owl was awake, but didn’t move. I watched it for a while, and then, headed home. I didn’t want to disturb its sleep.
Ron