Yet or Not Yet
by John Herlihy
With all the ordinary words to contend,
All of the ands and butts and therefores.
Ordinary words that should not pretend,
Like little waves seeking distant shores.
Here is one such pretentious little word: YET,
Three little letters combined to make a word.
Standing at a gambling table as if making a bet,
Trying to be so daring, but sounding like a bird.
Finished your work, father asked: no, not yet,
Yet as temporality, meaning no, not now.
Frosted slightly with a wintry tinge of regret,
Just as worry lines stream across your brow.
Are you already married? No, still not yet,
Yet in this instance as a sign of the future.
The answer as a promise to aid and abet,
The event will happen, all tied up in nature.
At someone's suggestion, you say better yet,
As if besting in a game of one-upmanship.
Yours a better suggestion with no need to fret,
Two simple little words that just fall off the lip.
Someone makes a claim, but still not enough,
Our beloved word yet now comes to the fore.
A counterclaim that bears all the right stuff,
As an alternative whose weight carries more.
Mother said not to use crayons on the wallpaper,
Yet, crayons on the wall the handiwork of a child.
Yet sets the stage the command, then the caper,
Doing what shouldn’t be done, acting a little wild.
A happy event that you don't want to finish,
Not yet, you think. May this never diminish.
Sometimes the end comes much too soon,
The demise of a flower while still in full bloom.
Say what you will, yet at the tip of the tongue,
A willing hand that holds back the curtain.
Every last drop of meaning from a word wrung,
To make sure that ever yet, everything is certain.
Termination of the unfinished life – still not yet
Hours of yearning, hours of longing – ever yet
The days of hope, days of promise – yet to come
The word that refuses to mark the end – not yet
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Copyright © John Herlihy
Wednesday 29 April 2026
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GOOD WORK, JOHN. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS +INSPIRATIONS
Much of which I haven't thought of.
Ron