Death (poem) by John Herlihy on AuthorsDen

Death
by John Herlihy → (All Poetry by John Herlihy)
Tuesday, June 28, 2022 Rated "G" by the Author.

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I was once scolded for posting a poem about death. The reader thought I was being morbid. Still, the poet has the obligation to write of subject matter and themes that are important to the human condition. We tend in this modern age to wrap ourselves in a protective cocoon far from death�s door; but the door, mostly closed, is always there. Why not bring it into our lives and think upon it sometimes since it is already there.

-- Death – John Herlihy Death It doesn’t exist When it does arrive We no longer exist In another state to survive Death Youth harbors no death Old age gives death a harbor In either case, refuge found In the celestial arbor Death We strut on life’s stage Death waits in the wings Until we come of age When the death song sings Death In our frantic rush to live We have no patience for death Yet death has patience for us And we are grateful for that Death No death without birth No life without death Death not enemy but friend Who meets us at the end Death But a moment, a portal We but a mortal person In passing its door, immortal The soul in its true st version Death In half an hour, half a century Living with death reduces time Old the adage, die before you die Living with death never asks why Death Birth marks the arrival Life shapes the journey Aging thru seasons of change Death marks journey’s end Death Weep not when I am gone Let this poem be my song Let no tears fall where I lie This body was me, but is not I - - - - - - Copyright © John Herlihy Saturday 4 June 2022

Reviewed by Jms Bell

Reviewed on July 18, 2022

I'M WITH YOU JOHN...YOU OWE NO ONE AN EXCUSE AT ALL FOR YOUR THEME. FOR THE FREEDOM OF SHARING A WRITTEN INSPIRATION/OPINION ABOUT 'ALL' THINGS IS EVERY INDIVDUALS GOD-GIVEN RIGHT...AS LONG AS IT'S DONE TASTEFULLY AND WITHOUT OFFENSE, WHICH YOU ALWAYS DO. BUT THEN, IT IS JUST AS FAIR AND CERTAINLY A READER'S RIGHT TO RESPOND IN THE SAME MANNER. AND, AS TO THIS WORK, INDEED HOW TRUE; FOR, WE ARE ALL BORN TO DIE AND BEGIN DYING FROM OUR FIRST BREATH. NOW HOW LONG THAT TAKES IS REALLY ALL IN OUR CREATOR'S HANDS. AND IT'S REALLY WONDERFUL TO KNOW THAT THOUGH THE BODY WHICH IS ME BE CONSUMED...I...WILL NEVER DIE. HOW FINE THIS WORK, ENJOYED, THANKS, JOHN. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS

Reviewed by Ronald Hull

Reviewed on June 29, 2022

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the nuances of death. I look at death as only one thing, and that is final.

I think it may be a family trait. I can't recall of any family members grieving over a death, not even my brother when he lost his very close and loving second wife to a fall in the prime of his and her retirement.

I welcome death as the ending of a long life, or short life, as fate would have it. Having brushed with death several times in my life, I find it just as welcome as living. Looking forward to my death, quickly if possible. My life is in order.

Ron

Reviewed by audrine max

i enjoyed the many definitions of death. yes, we die too many times before we actually die, and go on different states of being. i especially like the last stanza of this piece. your words will forever hold a space in our hearts. thank you.

Reviewed by Poets Soul

Reviewed on June 28, 2022

Well John, I was depressed about halfway through the poem, but in true John fashion you transformed it into something inspiring. Good read today.

PS

Reviewed by Sandie May Joyce (Sandie Angel)

The thing is... when death arrives we probably won't know we have died, for we may be very sick, or unconscious, or have died in our sleep.

Sandie