The Humble and the Proud

by John Herlihy

God bless the humble and the proud:
A righteous pride in being humble,
A false humility in being proud—
The apron of the truth over the lie.

God bless the weak and the brave:
In weakness, the seed of bravery;
In bravery, the seed of weakness—
Doubt as the father of the seed.

God bless the patient and the impatient:
In patience lies seconds of impatience;
In impatience lies seconds of patience—
Through time flies the arrow of waiting.

God bless the kind and the unkind:
In kindness lies a touch of unkindness;
In unkindness lies a touch of kindness—
Acts of kindness pave the journeyer’s way.

God bless the just and the unjust:
In justice lies a seam of injustice;
In injustice lies a seam of justice—
The thread of justice ties the knot.

God bless believers and disbelievers:
In belief lies an echo of disbelief;
In disbelief lies an echo of belief—
Faith listens to the tolling of a bell.

God bless those willing and unwilling:
In willing lies the draw of being unwilling;
In unwilling lies the drawer of being willing—
The force of the magnet will tell the tale.

God bless the joyful and the sorrowful:
In joy can be found a trace of sadness;
In sadness can be found a trace of joy—
Both pass through the eye of tomorrow.

God bless the trusting and the distrusting:
In trusting lies the crack of distrusting;
In distrusting lies the crack of trusting—
In the mirror lies the true reflection.

Nothing that exists ever goes unblessed.
We are touched by the good and the bad;
In mercy, all of our actions are dressed;
In forgiveness, everyone’s destiny blessed.

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Copyright © John Herlihy
Sunday, 24 May 2026