One Brief Moment (poem) by John Herlihy on AuthorsDen

One Brief Moment
by John Herlihy → (All Poetry by John Herlihy)
Wednesday, February 18, 2026 Rated "G" by the Author.

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One Brief Moment by John Herlihy If God could give one moment In time, One moment in time that could exist forever. One moment always to be remembered, One moment never to be forgotten. One moment to treasure as a precious gem, One moment to savor that will never end. Forgive me Lord for what I have asked, One brief moment to forever last. One brief moment as a grain of sand, Into the lifetime of a heart to land. One brief moment that begins at birth, One brief moment that ends at death. The past a list of moments expired, The future a list of hopes inspired. Human time an arrow on the move, God’s rhythms have nothing to prove. One brief moment I can rightly call mine, One brief moment turns into a lifetime. An entire lifetime to be swept away, One brief moment lived in God's day. - - - - Copyright © John Herlihy Saturday 1 November 2025

Reviewed by Jms Bell

Reviewed on February 24, 2026

WELL, LET ME PUT IT LIKE THIS; THE ONE MOMENT I CAN REMEMBER THAT WAS EXCEPTIONAL,THAT I'VE NEVER FORGOTTEN? I WAS A LITTLE PAST 50 AND I WAS A CHAIN SMOKER. I HAD HIT A BUMP IN MY ROAD OF LIFE AND MONEY WAS SCARCE., REAL SCARCE TO THE POINT WHERE I NEEDED A CIGARETTE BUT HAD NO FUNDS. AFTER GOING THROUGH MY COUCH LOOKING FOR CHANGE AND BEING TURNED DOWN AT THE CORNER STORE FOR A PACK ON CREDIT AND THEN ASKING A STRANGER FOR A CIGARETTE, WHICH WAS DENIED...I WENT BACK TO MY HOUSE AND I PRAYED. WELL, YOU SAY...AT LEAST YOU HAD A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. I DID NOT. GOD, OF COURSE, LOVED ME BUT I COULD HAVE CARED LESS ABOUT HIM. SURE, I WAS GOING TO CHURCH, EVEN IN THE CHOIR, BUT I REMEMBER...I COULDN'T WAIT TO GET HOME TO SMOKE A JOINT. BUT WHEN I FELL ON MY KNEES THAT DAY I FELT EMPTY. HONESTLY, I THOUGHT ABOUT TAKING MY LIFE, BUT...I WAS TOO AFRAID TO DO IT. THERE WAS BLEACH IN THE HOUSE AND KNIVES, YOU KNOW...MY WRIST WERE ALWAYS THERE BUT I DIDN'T HAVE THE COURAGE. SO I PRAYED. I SAID THE FIRST REALLY SINCERE PRAYER I HAD EVER PRAYED. I SAID, GOD...IF I HAVE TO WAKE UP TOMORROW FEELING THE WAY I DO NOW, PLEASE, I DON'T WANT TO WAKE UP. PLEASE DON'T WAKE ME UP. I DON'T CARE WHERE YOU SEND ME...HEAVEN OR HELL...I JUST DON'T WANT TO WAKE UP. I WENT TO BED THAT NIGHT AND WOKE UP THE NEXT MORNING AND I DIDN'T WANT TO SMOKE AND HAVE NEVER SMOKED A CIGARETTE SINCE. THAT WAS BEGINNING OF ME FALLING IN LOVE WITH JESUS. MY LIFE CHANGED COMPLETELY...I'VE NEVER LOOKED BACK, EXCEPT IN AWE OF WHERE HE HAS BROUGHT ME FROM. THAT WAS MY MOMENT, THAT WAS IT...AND I DON'T CONSIDER IT BRIEF BECAUSE IT'S NEVER ENDED. THANKS FOR SHARING, JOHN. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+ INSPIRATIONS

Reviewed by Ronald Hull

Reviewed on February 18, 2026

Got me thinking. I believe we remember more easily those times when there were moments that stood out in our ordinary lives. Enabling us to remember what went on around them that made them so special.

On the scale of the universe, we are but a moment in time.

When a woman tells you, "Just give me a moment." Be prepared to wait a very long time. ;-)

Ron

Reviewed by Rebecca McKeehan

This is a lovely, wistful poem. Ive had many such moments that circle through my memory like a digital frame. They help me endure thise times I'd rather forget.

Rebecca