If
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
Many poems, and poets for that matter, earn fame because of their ability to inspire others. Such poems give people the internal strength they need to overcome a problem, reach a goal, or let go of their resentment or guilt. Poems can even inspire people to work towards a cause or become a better person. Many famous poets had the keen ability to use the written word to reach hearts and souls, motivating people to action. They used their gift in the most noble of ways by creating inspirational poems that touched, and continue to touch, people with a positive message even today.
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
I was never an avid reader nor appreciated poetry most of my life. My dad sent me this poem for my 28th birthday, printed along with a lovely card. Living many miles away from him I often...
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It doesn't interest me
what you do for a living.
I want to know
what you ache for
I love this more than words. I think of these words often, especially in times that I feel as though I haven't done much through the years, and I'm sweetly reminded that I HAVE done so much!...
The tree that never had to fight
For sun and sky and air and light,
But stood out in the open plain
And always got its share of rain,
This is a poem that addresses the law of nature. No one can go against it. The poet has used metaphorical language to depict the similarities between man and other creations of nature. Nature...
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You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may tread me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.
The courage is evident. Our world needs social justice to reign above everything else. No one has the right to say he or she is better than anyone else. We are all on this earth with an...
Analysis of Form and Technique
Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I grew up with beautiful sisters, and I was the ugly duckling. To this day I feel their jealousy, and they will never give me respect. I walk proud, and people like me. I'm successful,...
Is anybody happier because you passed his way?
Does anyone remember that you spoke to him today?
This day is almost over, and its toiling time is through;
Is there anyone to utter now a kindly word of you?
I worked at a fast food restaurant and there was an elderly man, in his 90s, who called for us to deliver him some food. I stayed on the phone with him for what I would say is around 40...
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Figure it out for yourself, my lad,
You've all that the greatest of men have had,
Two arms, two hands, two legs, two eyes,
And a brain to use if you would be wise.
Great poem. I have a lot of stuff to learn about life in this poem.
I note the obvious differences
in the human family.
Some of us are serious,
some thrive on comedy.
With so much sadness and feeling alone in the world today, reading these words reminded me there are so many others that feel the same. And it's so important for us all to remember all humans...
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Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
Once I was a good student. I have always been an obedient and gentle person. Then I failed in my life for the first time in the year 2002. Something happened and I fell right from the top and...
Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream!—
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.
My deceased husband introduced me to this poem 55 years ago, and I've always considered it a great gift.