Here

by John Herlihy

once we were somewhere

now we are not there

we are here of course

here is where we are

each one of us locked in

in his or her here

from the moment we are born

until the moment we die

here in a place in time

a certain time, a certain place

not there as in some future time

not there as in some past place

not there as in over the edge

not there as in beyond the horizon

here where I've never been before

not there where I've never been before

here where I will never be again

not there where I have never been

here the way I am here

not here the way you are here

here for the while I am here

here until I am not here

then I will be there

when ‘there’ will be ‘here’.

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Copyright © John Herlihy

Sunday 19 October 2025