Paradox of Expectation (poem) by John Herlihy on AuthorsDen

Paradox of Expectation
by John Herlihy → (All Poetry by John Herlihy)
Sunday, July 5, 2026 Rated "G" by the Author.

Save

Follow Share on Facebook



The Paradox of Expectation by John Herlihy We don't allow the unexpected to happen; We want everything to just run its course. We follow routines, we ponder, we reckon, All in the name of efficiency without remorse. The unexpected brings along a sense of grudge, A bitterness, a resentment, unwanted surprise. We want to be in charge, we want to be judge, Not some phantom event we have to improvise. We expected to fall in love, fall in love we do, Even when we are not sure if the love is true . We are expected to be reasonable, to behave, Even when not in the mood, feeling the knave. We may not like conforming to the expected, But many dislike having to conform to a plan. The expected – unexpected inter-connected, Harmony between the human and divine plan. We want to be a spark, a fire, a burning flame, We don’t want to be puddy, just filling a mold. Shed the cloak of predictability without blame, To act as we want without having to be told. Vanity dictates we show an element of surprise, Nobody wants to be accused of being a bore. While steadiness values a sense of compromise, Not living life as if we are performing a chore. We build scaffolding around us to have control, An uninvited knock on the door only intrudes. The uninvited guest our sense of stability stole, Unexpected shock a sense of balance precludes. We wish to be anchored in our own identity, Knowing our ship of state needs to be set free. We need to sail across open seas of possibility, Without losing the anchor of the self, I am me. - - - - Copyright © John Herlihy Monday 23 February 2026

Reviewed by Jms Bell

Reviewed on July 11, 2026

WHAT OR WHO CAN WE PUT OUR TRUST IN...THAT DOESN'T COME WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF NOT FOLLOWING OUR ...EXPECTATIONS? NOTHING OR NO ONE, BUT GOD. CERTAINLY, IN ESTABLISHING HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS, WHATEVER THE CIRCUMSTANCES, THERE HAS TO BE SOME LEVEL TRUST BUT...THERE SHOULD ALWAYS BE THE 'POSSIBILITY' THAT THINGS MAY NOT GO AS 'EXPECTED. THIS IS LIFE AND THAT IS THE WAY THINGS GO DOWN HERE. SO, WHEN FACED WITH THE UNEXPECTED...? BE VERY SURE OUR ANCHOR HOLDS AND GRIPS...THE SOLID ROCK, JESUS! THEN...PRESS ON, AMEN. THANKS FOR SHARING, JOHN. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS

Reviewed by Ronald Hull

Reviewed on July 6, 2026

Your poem gets at the ultimate essence of our survival. If it weren't for the unexpected, we might not change at all. And, in order for us to move forward as human beings it often takes both a plan and the perseverance to stick with the plan even though it runs into many obstacles before we can see the results of what we have planned.

As I read, I thought about your trips to exotic places. They required page up page up page up a great deal of planning that most people don't do. They might think of a trip to an exotic place as something you sign up with a tourist agency to do. That is not the kind of planning I'm writing about.

It's the willingness to do something really different like teach in the Middle East and learn another religion in the process. That takes great courage and resolve to do. The stuff of survival.

Ron