Opposites (poem) by John Herlihy on AuthorsDen

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John Herlihy

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Opposites
by John Herlihy → (All Poetry by John Herlihy)
Friday, February 27, 2026 Rated "G" by the Author.

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Opposites by John Herlihy Some people say I deserve a bit of happiness. Does that mean I also deserve a bit of sadness? Opposites always do arrive in the form of twos, Like left and right in the case of well-worn shoes. When a whole lot of sadness does come my way, Will that mean a whole lot of happiness has its say? It’s not just joy or sorrow that in our life intrudes, A whole range of emotions the web of life includes. At times a little bit of courage and a little bit of fear, Our joys offer a smile but our sadness offers a tear. A little bit of anger tempered by a little bit of calm, A fiery flash of fury tempered by chanting a psalm. We take what comes to us even if only a little bit, Our ups and downs softened by a little bit of wit. - - - - - Copyright © John Herlihy Saturday 13 December 2025

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Reviews of "Opposites"

Reviewed by Jms Bell

Reviewed on April 21, 2026

I ENJOYED THIS WORK AND TOTALLY AGREE; WE NEED...OPPOSITES...TO PERSEVERE SOLIDLY. CAN YOU IMAGINE LIVINGING IN 'THIS WORLD' AND NEVER EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTY? BEING HUMAN, WE WOULD TAKE...GOOD...FOR GRANTED AND EVENTUALLY, NOT APPRECIATE IT AT ALL. THUS, WE NEED THE HARD TIMES TO ENDEAR THE GOOD TIMES. THE ONLY PLACE WHERE 'ETERNAL GOOD' WILL WORK IS...OVER THERE, IN THAT PROMISED WORLD. WHY? BECAUSE OUR HUMAN 'TAINTS' WILL EXIST NO MORE AND WE WILL BE ENABLED TO EMBRACE THE 'GIFT' OF PEACE AND 'HIS' PERFECT TRANQUILITY...FOREVER. GREAT, JOHN, THANKS! LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS

Reviewed by Diana Legun

Reviewed on March 3, 2026

I�ll cut and paste a line from this into my attitude, John�.��Will that mean a whole lot of happiness has its say?� and then keep it in the front of the cupboard. ~~ djl

Reviewed by Odin odin@aflx.com

Reviewed on March 1, 2026

To live in the realm of oneness... avoiding the possibility of opposites creating the whole, as in your photo of Yin and Yang, is to cheat oneself out of fully understanding most anything. As you know, I'm a great believer in paradox, so your sharing of this focus was a rewarding visit with a like-minded poet.

Reviewed by Ronald Hull

Reviewed on February 27, 2026

Life would be rather boring without its ups and downs. I'm glad you ended it with a little bit of wit. It's best to end a hard problem with a smile or even a chuckle.

Ron

Reviewed by Rebecca McKeehan

Reviewed on February 27, 2026

It's the concept of yin and yang, and what goes around comes around, in action. Proving that life is not a static state. No matter how bad, or good, things seem, the pendulum is always going to swing the other way.

Rebecca

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