The Great Beyond
by John Herlihy
Hark, let us ponder on the mystery of the great beyond,
That lies beyond the horizon and earth’s vast ocean pond.
The great beyond exists even if we don’t rightly believe,
Trapped in the jaws of death what we cannot conceive.
Mention the word death; we wonder what happens next;
We stir up multiple theories, in the end we are perplexed.
With new technologies, people after-death scenarios probe,
Tunnels, the white light, the astral body, beyond the globe.
Death, eternity, cosmos, an idea that refuses to be named,
A door cracked open, a squeaky hinge, something blamed.
A hint of something more; but we don’t know what it is,
Like a bolt of yarn unravelling, shake the bottle – then fizz.
The phrase seems so very big, but it ends up feeling small,
We set it aside with a chuckle, it means nothing at all.
A boomerang returns to haunt, that sense of wonder,
Magnitude in great distances of beyond – such thunder.
How can a thing so vague lie so easily beyond our grasp,
Like the horizon, it is beyond us, we can never hold fast.
Unlike heaven or paradise, the beyond resonates as myth,
Not Christian or Muslim, in mystery’s heart lies this pith.
A flickering candle is snuffed out when a passing wind blew,
The eyes close down, the breath ceases, away a bird flew.
We know not the day or the hour, only that it will come,
Found in the tick of the minutes or the rhythms of a drum.
The great beyond could be the great vessel, chalice, cup,
Waiting to be filled with meaning from which we may sup.
A great cup filled with fears, longings, hopes of humanity,
Desire to live on somehow as resolution to life’s mystery.
- - - - -
Copyright © John Herlihy
Friday 13 February 2026
Share
Print
Save
Follow
But that seems to be too simplistic, especially for those who fervently believe in writings 2000 years old, from beliefs maybe earlier of a coming messiah, that there is life after death. Even glorious life at the right hand of God.
I believe that those that have seen the white tunnel were experiencing a phenomenon that their brain provided them as it was turning the lights out, so to speak, before it received enough blood to revive. The simple random firing of brain cells seen as white light in the mind. And out of body experience as simply a dream state while being unconscious.
However, with my three year encounters with death, I did not dream or see anything, just woke up with no memory of what happened.
My anecdote, I believe, is as strong as all those other anecdotes that clearly have a scientific explanation. Just look it up. Wondering is a waste of time. We can build our legacy by our writing better poetry. Something that is hard, not easy to do.
Ron