Saying Goodbye to Myself (poem) by John Herlihy on AuthorsDen

Saying Goodbye to Myself
by John Herlihy → (All Poetry by John Herlihy)
Sunday, January 12, 2025 Rated "G" by the Author.

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Saying Goodbye to Myself by John Herlihy We are born in a world where all things are new, The dawn of life bespeckles the world with dew. Our lives end up becoming a series of goodbyes, Growing up, leaving home, when everyone cries. Our hellos as mere formal greetings able to forget, We greet someone soon gone, no need for regret. Goodbyes have a finality to them that are difficult, We wish to prevent our feelings turning into a rout. Farewells eventually turn into things we can bear, Each one invoked as a memory, a kind of prayer. We say life is short, but at times seems quite long, Whole decades in the making, then they be gone. We bid farewell even to the various stages of life, Infancy, childhood, adolescence, maturity in sight. Until we come to encounter the specter of old age, We begin to take note of the turning of life’s page. Thru the eye of the hourglass flow rushing sands, The symbolism is clear, life slipping thru our hands. The moment arrives when I simply think to myself, Do I have the fortitude to say goodbye to myself. Life has been a mystery but now one thing is clear, Each day has been a precious gift I still hold dear. As I lay my head on the pillow, I whisper goodbye, To myself, to the world, if my time now draws nigh. - - - - - Copyright © John Herlihy Thursday 5 December 2024

Reviewed by Jms Bell

Reviewed on February 25, 2025

WELL, MY FRIEND...I ENJOYED THIS VERY MUCH. BUT FROM ANOTHER ASPECT....I SAID GOODBYE TO MYSELF...A LONG TIME AGO. 'I' WAS A MESS. BUT WHEN GOD MOVED IN, 'I' MOVED OUT AND I SAID GOODBYE TO 'ME'. NOW AS FAR AS ME LEAVING THIS WORLD IS CONCERNED...THIS IS NOT IN MY HANDS AT ALL AND FOR THIS 'I' AM DELIGHTED AND HAVE NO 'GOODBYE' TO SAY. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS.

Reviewed by Diana Legun

Reviewed on January 15, 2025

Well, this is surely a love song of a poem in my eyes, John. Different from Ron and Odin, I didn�t read into this that it is your imminent demise being addressed, but the prospect that it will be part of your life, any life, all life {living beings}. Every one of these six stanza�s end with the most powerful lines, and they are �ringers�. Grandest of all for me is: �whole decades in the making, then they be gone.� I like your phrasing style, the cadence, the vocabulary. Thank you for letting us see your writings, for each one lets us see �you.� ~~ djl

Reviewed by Odin odin@aflx.com

Reviewed on January 12, 2025

There is a mysterious calm to your poetry about endings that suggests you not only write about it but believe the ending of mortal life is just the need for a new beginning. Although life after life is often argued against, as poets, I often thank who or whatever put me here that the words expressed in much of poetry, like that of yourself, is an interesting contemplation of language mortality. After all, any book with a PCN number gets a pass in the Library of Congress, a rather monumental guarantee that your words will be around for a long time. BTW, your writing doesn't suggest to me that you're ready to stop throwing down that gauntlet of yours. You've got much more to express.

Reviewed by Ronald Hull

You must sense coming soon because so many of your poems reflect on the end of your life. Your daily poems of such depth and vigor seem to belie that the end is near for you.

I put my affairs in order, but not completely, so I continue to do it, because a few years ago I decided that I would not push myself further to live longer but free my partner from her immense obligation of taking care of me. She needs time for herself in her retirement that she keeps postponing the longer I live. Of course, I want to see what's coming around the corner and whether it will be as great as the past revelations. What will AI do� quantum computing� reinventing ourselves into cyborgs?

Ron