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,

Spinning bright yarn, and weaving dark thread,

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

When diving in deep, over coral and sand,

Through stormy chaos, and crumbling plans,

While nurturing new, and cherishing old,

And clutching tattering hopes that 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, 2024