AuthorsDen.com   Join | Login    
Where Authors and Readers come together!

SIGNED BOOKS    AUTHORS    BOOKS    SAMPLE CHAPTERS    AUDIOBOOKS    eBOOKS    STORIES    ARTICLES    POETRY    BLOGS    NEWS    VIDEOS    SUCCESS    TESTIMONIALS

Featured Authors:  Judy Joy Jones, iMiller Caldwell, iDarryl Jenkins, iJeff Mason, iDavid Schwinghammer, iT. Cline, iWilliam Martell, iJohn DeDakis, iShirley Francis-Salley, iD. Enise, i

  Home > Poetry > Poetry        Popular: Books, Stories, Articles, Poetry        Authors: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z     

John Herlihy

 Follow Me  

· Contact Me
· Books
· Articles
· Poetry
· News
· Stories
· Blog
· 3,141 Titles
· 14,340 Reviews
· Save to My Library
· Share with Friends!
·
Member Since: Mar, 2001

John Herlihy, click here to update your pages on AuthorsDen!


Books by
John Herlihy











See all Books
by John Herlihy



Opposites
by John Herlihy → (All Poetry by John Herlihy)
Tuesday, February 7, 2023    Rated "G" by the Author.
Share   Print  Save   Follow   Share on Facebook


Poem Artwork

 

-- Opposites --

John Herlihy

 

We slip in

Our lives begin

Mother’s own

Never alone

 

The dawn light

The day heavy

The night long

The life short

 

Empty fillable

Full plentiful

Yin passive

Yang active

 

The night dark

The day light

The future forward

The past backward

 

The end soon

The beginning late

Failure early

Success later

 

Patience far

The hour near

Fear strong

Courage weak

 

The known merciless

The unknown merciful

The mind unforgiving

The heart forgiving

 

Kindness memorable

Unkindness forgettable

The stranger reliable

The friend unreliable

 

The past known

The future unknowable

The life clear

The afterlife unclear

 

In the beginning, end

In the end, beginning

Life often unkind

Death always kind

 

We slip in

We slip away

On our own

At the end alone

 

- - - - - -

Copyright © John Herlihy

Tuesday 10 Ja­­­nuary 2023


Want to review or comment on this poem?


Need a FREE Reader Membership?


 Reviews of "Opposites"
Reviewed by Jms Bell
Reviewed on February 28, 2023
THIS IS A SOMEWHAT IDYLLIC POINT OF VIEW. I SAY THAT BECAUSE, SOMETIMES...WE SLIP IN UNWANTED AND VERY MUCH ALONE...EXCEPT FOR GOD. AND, AS IT TURNS OUT WHEN THE TIME COMES THAT WE SLIP AWAY...WE WILL STILL NOT BE ALONE, BUT FOR GOD. SO, FOR SOME...THE END AND THE BEGINNING ARE NOT OPPOSITE, AT ALL. I DON'T KNOW WHY BUT THIS IS WHERE THIS POEM TOOK ME. THANKS FOR SHARING, MY FRIEND. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS.

Reviewed on February 10, 2023
Now, John! Please remain seated until the ride is over!!! Your words sing to me.

Love ya!

Jane

Reviewed by Ronald Hull
Reviewed on February 9, 2023
A very profound poem showing all the choices we have to make in life whether to accept the upside and reject the down or be tempted to go the opposite way against our own intuition. Life is full of the myriad decisions like this. The hope is for balance, the reality is sometimes turmoil and pain. For those, death is truly, a blessing and relief.

Ron

Reviewed by Richard Cederberg
Reviewed on February 9, 2023
It seems that all opposites border one another. Seems there's no gulf between them. Just a line of sorts. It's amazing how quickly we all can be altered, just by making the wrong decision. It's always best (I think) to tend our own gardens in this life, and then share the fruit with others. Enjoyed this, John. Thought-provoking. Peace.... r

Reviewed by Odin odin@aflx.com
Reviewed on February 7, 2023
Quite a list of realities. There is a pattern, as your poem adroitly emphasizes, that we can't escape, so, like yourself, we all slip in and slip away on our own at the end alone. At least we can leave the baggage behind on this final journey.


New Poetry by John Herlihy
Popular Poetry (Poetry)
  1.  Catching Happiness...
  2.  Finding Trust Again
  3.  Nightsky
  4.  Reality of Another Kind
  5.  Life's Enormous Green Chest
  6.  Spindrift
  7.  Kindness
  8.  Luxury of Solitude
  9.  Our Restless Minds
  10.  Roadkill Memoriam
  11.  In The Still of The Night
  12.  Sediment Within the Soul
  13.  Dream Just a Dream
  14.  Feeling Lonely
  15.  Hunting for Truth
  16.  In Praise of Anonymity
  17.  Whisper Pens
  18.  Shaved Reflections
  19.  I Have Spent My Entire Life
  20.  Mythical Dragons
Free Book Review Program
Select a book to read and review today!

Early Works by David Clure

Early Works is an exhaustive compilation of the first decade of the poems and stories of Z.B.McClure. Included are family photos, rare personal photos, photos of 1st draft manuscripts of many of his early poems. Also some biography and memoir materia  
Member BookAds

Opening Acts - 2nd Edition by David Clure

Over 40 poems in this new edition of "Opening Acts". Get yours today...  
Member BookAds

Petals of Love: Poetry of a Woman's Soul by Myra Darwish

From the author of Jupiter Remembered and Until It’s Time: Embracing Life In Our Later Years comes Petals of Love: Poetry of a Woman’s Soul – a heartfelt collection spanning more than thirty-five years. Through tender reflections, these poems offer g  
Member BookAds