I have been through Heaven and Hell

And lived with many tales to tell

Few could imagine, the wonders I have seen

Or the joyful places I have been

Nor have they felt the sorrow and the pain

Of the wind and the storms and the winter rain

Or the beauty of morning sunlight, glinting on the virgin snow

The road has been long, winding and narrow

With many a cross road, twist and turn

And though I have seen a lot, I still have much to learn

Time after time. Again and again

I have seen the worst in men

When all hope has gone and left

And tears like rivers  I have wept

But I have also seen the best

Some days, I just stop and rest

To linger for a little while

To chat and share a simple  smile

Like the tiny skylark, a minstrel on the wing

I still have songs to sing.

Like a river flows from source to sea

Life is one such magical journey

Sometimes shallow, sometimes deep

Over gentle slopes and some so steep

Through many a changing landscape

Before it can escape

But the journey’s end has not come yet

Though at times I have thought about death

But I have always chosen to live

And still have so much to give.

C. Denis Murphy 21 February 2021.