Living Life Poetically: 2020
2020 has definitely been a challenging year for many of us. Through it, we may have felt pain, sadness, loss, and loneliness in a way we’ve never felt before. But coming to this moment with the year at a close means we somehow managed to push through it all. We may have discovered new ways to cope; and we may have realized we’re stronger than we expected–especially with the support of each other. Perhaps we take less for granted. Perhaps we discovered an appreciation for the little things. The poem, “2020”, is a reflection on a year that has been horrendous. But with time, we may find the silver lining…
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“Happiness is a choice, not a result. Nothing will make you happy until you choose to be happy. No person will make you happy unless you decide to be happy. Your happiness will not come to you. It can only come from you.”
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“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
Living Life Poetically: It Takes Time
The poem, “It Takes Time,” is for those moments when our grief, pain, hopelessness, or efforts toward a certain goal seem to persist with no change or little progress. It Takes Time It may take timeTo heal all wound. It may take timeFor flowers to bloom. It’s tempting to assumeThat good things will always happen soon. But sometimes, it takes longer than we presume.And the longer it takes, the greater our gloom—The kind that can consume. So, in our hearts we must make room,And in our minds we must groom,To understand that— It may take time.
Living Life Poetically: Time and Essence
You’ve probably heard the saying, “Time is of the essence.” The saying is actually legal jargon, originating from contract law. A Time is of the essence clause would appear in an agreement between two parties when something needs to be done in a timely matter and any delay could have negative consequences. Well, this saying was the inspiration for the poem, “Time and Essence.” In life, we’re sometimes faced with “Time is of the essence” situations. Things that demand our immediate attention and time–like emergencies or tight deadlines. But if it’s important and not life-threatening, yes, time may be of the essence. However, if it causes us to not make…
Living Life Poetically: Choose Light
“Choose Light” is about having empathy, self-awareness, and self-education. If you’ve been keeping up with current events, then the poem needs no further introduction. Current events (sparked in the U.S.) provide context for the poem. However, the poem’s message is timeless. Therefore, after reading it with current events in mind, I encourage you to read it a second time, reflecting on its enduring message. It’s a message about empathy, self-awareness, and self-education whenever we’re confronted with situations we may not understand or situations we may not have experienced in the past or experience day to day. Choose Light Some may know the plight,Of journeys never taken. While others may not…
Living Life Poetically: In His Words
The poem,”In His Words,” can have a different meaning, or message, depending on what you’re going through or have gone through. Therefore, I’m not going to spend any time prescribing meaning. Instead, I will talk about its significance. The poem is structured around three bible verses from the New Testament. They are Matthew 16:24, Matthew 11:30, and 2 Corinthians 12:9–in that order. These verses are words spoken by Jesus and written in third person. In fact, the verses actually help make up the first line of each stanza. Meanwhile, the remaining words in each stanza express my reflection. Furthermore, the remaining words provide context and connection between each verse. Read,…
Living Life Poetically: Sadness Gone
The poem, “Sadness Gone,” has a unique form. Each stanza has three lines that follow the pattern of five, seven, five. Meaning, the first and third lines have five syllables while the middle line has seven. This form is considered a haiku, which is a form of traditional Japanese poetry. Typically, these poems are only three lines long and seldom rhyme. However, in “Sadness Gone,” I took a few liberties. It is a haiku poem with three stanzas and some rhythmic rhyme. The poem examines what we can learn or gain each time we realize sadness is gone. Sadness Gone Sadness gone will show, It all passes in the end…The…
Living Life Poetically: Keep On
The poem, “Keep On”, was written for those bad days; for whenever you feel like giving up. Perhaps, you’ve lost the drive to pursue your dreams and aspirations. I’ve been there. However, I’ve learned that giving up leads to more regrets. So push through the challenges. Come out stronger, each time, than before. Keep on. Keep On Take heart you downcast, my friend. Joy and happiness,You deserve. Though gone for now, They’re only hidden. Discovered, not given. Found where contentment, faith, and hope means believing, In a life that’s always worth living. So, keep on. For the journeys to come.
Living Life Poetically: Remember the Storms
“Remember the Storms” is an homage to all the challenging times (or storms) we’ve been through. Specifically, the ones we’ve overcome; or perhaps, we’ve come a long way from where we were. We’ve healed substantially. Often, we want to plow forward and not look back at all. But this robs us of the opportunity to acknowledge and appreciate how far we’ve come. We all have storms in our past. And unfortunately, they’ll continue to brew in our present and future. Remembering the ones we’ve already gone through can empower and inspire us to face current and future challenges with an ‘I’ve weathered the storm before, I can do it again…
Living Life Poetically: If Only
This poem is fairly short compared to the others. And the introduction to it will be short as well. “If Only” explores a simple question. What if we could turn back the clock after a tragedy? There’s always that one thing that changes everything. So what if we could just go back and change that one thing? If Only If only we could turn back time. Then you wouldn’t have left. And no one would’ve wept. If only we could shift nature’s paradigm. If only we could turn back time. Then you would still be here. And everyone would let you know how much they care. If only things could…
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“Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity…it makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
Living Life Poetically: Hope’s Promise
“The only way to achieve the impossible is to believe it is possible.”
Living Life Poetically: The Son Will Shine
In case you’re wondering, that is not a typo. The poem, “The Son Will Shine,” is my attempt to play on the words “sun” and “son”. I can go into more detail on this; however, I don’t want to give away too much of what this poem is about. So here ends my introduction. The Son Will Shine Casting pale, the light of the moon. Without fail, the sun rose again soon. With hammer and nail. The prophets described the gloom. But without fail, the son rose again soon. Shining bright, in flesh the Word. With power and might, the sun shines onward. With quill and scroll. The apostles described…
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Living Life Poetically: “The Road”
“There is no such thing as a ‘self-made’ man. We are made up of thousands of others. Everyone who has ever done a kind deed for us, or spoken one word of encouragement to us, has entered into the make-up of our character and of our thoughts, as well as our success.”
