I Tremble

by John Herlihy

Not a day goes by, 

that I do not tremble.

Let me utter a simple sigh, 

As my thoughts assemble.

I tremble in relief,

To awaken to another day. 

I tremble in grief,

With nothing left to say.

I tremble at the thought, 

That there will be no tomorrow.

I tremble when caught, 

In the midst of some sorrow.

Not a night goes by,

That I do not tremble.

I breathe a simple sigh,

As my memories assemble.

As soon as the sun goes down,

Blankets of darkness cover the land.

As If God Himself did frown, 

Speaking to us in reprimand. 

I tremble and tremble again,

As I gaze at those distant stars.

Suns that for centuries have been,

When here on earth as if behind bars.

In wonder, in fear, in flight,

I tremble in corners of the mind.

Alone at the stroke of midnight, 

Darkness offers feelings unkind.

Never imagined this love lost

Pieces of the heart to tremble

Mind coated in winter frost

A broken heart to reassemble

The descending of the falling leaf

Trembling on the water’s surface

Its one life on earth but brief

Having fulfilled its unique purpose

What are these feelings of love,

I can think of nothing else. 

Overwhelmed, a trembling dove,

Love's finger pressing on my pulse.

We tremble in so many ways,

As minutes to the hour whose counting.

Trembling thru all the number of days,

The extent of God's mysteries  surmounting. 

Woe the day I tremble no longer,

 If all of life's miracles found bereft.

Wonders to make hearts grow fonder,

Gone in a flash with nothing left.

The whole world will tremble

Listening to the divine Cry

At the accounting to assemble

In the shadow of the divine Eye

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Copyright © John Herlihy

Monday 10 November 2025