Laughter and Tears (poem) by John Herlihy on AuthorsDen

Laughter and Tears
by John Herlihy → (All Poetry by John Herlihy)
Friday, January 23, 2026 Rated "G" by the Author.

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Laughter and Tears by John Herlihy Things we begin to do And do until they're done. Things we think we knew Until our web fully spun. Laughter that is beautiful Finally ends in a smile, Laughter that is dutiful Betrays a dull style. When people begin to laugh The laughter takes them over. When people begin to cry You know something is over. How to characterize laughter Where does it come from. How to characterize tears And where do they come from. Laughter more easily spent You wonder where it went. Tears just continue to flow A river you never did know. When the joking stops Laughter turns into a grin. When the tears stop The sorrow lives within. Laughter lives as potential As long as I am still here. Sorrow is also essential As life’s dagger and spear. Laughter without Limits There wherever we go. Sorrow without limits Dragging behind in tow. Then suddenly it happens The laughter turns to tears A merger no one reckons A lifetime of debt in arrears - - - - - Copyright © John Herlihy Friday 26 September 2025

Reviewed by Jms Bell

Reviewed on February 24, 2026

LAUGHTER AND TEARS. DUTIFUL TASKS OF OUR EMOTIONS THAT SATURATES US WITH BOTH...IN A LIFETIME. SOMETIMES WE LAUGH TO KEEP FROM CRYING. SOMETIMES WE SHEDS TEARS OF JOY. IN ANY CASE...BOTH ARE A PART OF THAT WHICH 'NURTURES' AND 'STRENGTHENS' US, AS WE JOURNEY ON. THANKS FOR SHARING, MY FRIEND. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS.

Reviewed by Ronald Hull

Reviewed on January 23, 2026

You got me thinking. That's good. I rarely laugh. Why I stopped watching sitcoms. That canned laughter was bad enough, but when they went to those live audiences who would spontaneously laugh whenever given the queue by someone on the sidelines, it made me sick. I quit watching.

I love a good stand-up comedian, but I still find it hard to laugh unless it's something really silly and that's hard for me to resist laughter. Mostly, I just smile as my confirmation that I thought something was funny.

Even as a kid I don't think I laughed spontaneously like so many others playing do. I was in dead serious combat over who was best at whatever it was with my twin brother. My way of being different was whenever a picture was taken, I made some kind of a silly grinning face rather than a cute smile that the girls all wanted.

Ron

Reviewed by Odin odin@aflx.com

A worthy choice of focus, given we are living in perhaps the most mixed emotional time in recent history. To wonder and explore the origins of laughter and tears is a premise that will probably baggle future minds and hearts of conscious awareness, but for now, you've filled that void of questioning admirably. Well done.