Is This a Thing? (poem) by John Herlihy on AuthorsDen

Is This a Thing?
by John Herlihy → (All Poetry by John Herlihy)
Monday, May 18, 2026 Rated "G" by the Author.

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Playing around with a little word play. A dialogue between Victor and Valerie who were having an affair, a thing.

Is This a Thing by John Herlihy Is this a thing happening, Vic asked? Is that what you call it, a thing, Val said. Look, let’s not wreck a thing that’s working. You mean this thing that we have together. Jeez, I consider it a good thing, he said. A fantastic thing, she said, so far as things go. He said: Let’s not turn this into more than a thing. Val said: Is that all you want, just a thing? Hey, I don’t mind a thing, know what I mean? I don’t want a thing that’s only just a thing, she said. Sure, at least a thing is more than nothing. Yea, I get it. What a thing it is, she said. So, don’t worry about a thing, he said. Yea, I know, she said. It’s just a thing. Something passed between them. A different kind of understanding, Indeed, a different kind of thing. - - - - - Copyright © John Herlihy Tuesday 21 April 2026

Reviewed by Jms Bell

Reviewed on May 22, 2026

AS LONG AS THEY BOTH AGREE THAT...THE THING...IS WORTH THEIR TIME AND EFFORT TO CONVERSE ABOUT, I GUESS ITS ALRIGHT THAT THEY BOTH SEEM TO BE LOOKING AT...THE THING...SOMEWHAT DIFFERENTLY? I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY THEY DON'T VALUE THE RELATIONSHIP ON THE SAME LEVEL AT ALL. QUITE A SCENERIO HERE, JOHN, VERY 'INTERESTING' TO SAY THE LEAST(GIGGLE). LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS

Reviewed by Ronald Hull

Reviewed on May 18, 2026

Back in the day, they used to call an affair, a fling. That's the thing in your poetry� Very clever.

But I saw one of those classic modern day expressions�"Do you know what I mean?" While it may have been appropriate to say it, back then, the expression has become overused and misused by our youth.

Finally, your little exercise clearly shows that women are from Venus and men are from Mars when it comes to understanding�even while doing their thing in a fling.

Ron

Reviewed by Richard Cederberg

Funny insight John. Another view into the multifarious aspects of human dysfunction. In my experiences, too much of communication anymore (unless their heads are buried in their iPhones) is one person talking, the other feigning they're listening, as they intently formulate how they're going to respond to what they're not listening to. Thanks for sharing. R

Reviewed by Rebecca McKeehan

Ah the tribulations of communicating!

Rebecca