Praise to you lightfooted one
youthful messenger
bright spirit
god of thieves and liars
sailors, alchemists
interpreters of sacred texts
pathfinder through the underworld
you are the one forever lurking
in the shadows
in the doorways between worlds
healer and guide of souls

How often have I caught
the flash of winged sandals
glimpsed a sudden brightening
in the air a quickness
that left my dull senses
far behind and yet
slow as I am
I'm ever quick to lose my keys
my purse my purpose
to forget where I set down
my book my glasses where I
parked my car and
quick to lose myself
moving heedlessly on
to the next thought
the next distraction

Yet somehow all the many
things I lose
find their way back to me
show up behind the couch
in my shirt pocket
underneath my pillow
and even the large losses
youthful hopes and aspirations
long abandoned
seem to come around again
with time
thanks to your gift
divine Hermes
trickster who gave the world
the first plucked strings
to soothe our hearts
with gentle sounds
accept our thanks for all
the play of lost and found
and making whole again