Memory

Introduction to ENCOUNTER: A Journey into Chaos, Culture and Compassion. This poem establishes some important themes developed in the book

All of life beckons, and calls us to run,

To the step of a dance, and the beat of a drum,

We spin bright yarn, and weave dark thread,

Through the fabric of life, and all that we dread,

Through stormy chaos, and crumbling plans,

We suffer, and seek to understand,

While nurturing new, we cherish the old,

And clutch our tattering hopes we hold,

Down the road less-taken, on paths not seen,

Round the twist of our thoughts, and shape of our dreams;

There mem’ries linger, and turn in our minds,

Mem’ries that hold us, and round us entwine,

So all of our yesterdays, are with us tomorrow,

All of our joy, and all of our sorrow.

Ian Reilly, 2025