Of all the words you will ever say,
Beware of "should have", "could have",
And "maybe someday".
It's better to fail a thousand times,
Exhaust yourself in fruitless climbs,
End up destitute, spent and broken
And leave those awful words unspoken.
For those souls who use them carelessly
Though wealthy they may appear to be
Will just barely exist their whole life through
Without making one sweet dream come true.
And while we're at it, there is one more word
Which is responsible for many a dream deferred.
If you want a good life, you better kiss it goodbye.
The grand-daddy of all the dream-killers is "try".
Think about it - when someone says, "I'll try",
It's damn near worthy of a punch in the eye.
You know for sure the bum will never do it
So don't ever say it, or you already blew it.
So consider me the ghost of vocabulary past
Trying to save you from being outclassed.
Sticks and stones may break bones, it's true,
But words can do much more harm to you.
In a list
Please tell me what you think
Comments
1 - 8 of 8
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Evocative
Mark me thinks it takes one kindred spirit to recognize those qualities in others. The more I read your work, and your insightful comments on my work, the more I understand that we are on the same page with respect to the salients aspects of life.
This is a strong and thought provoking write and no doubt you will hit a recognizable nerve with many, perhaps all of us, because I'm sure we have all been there. But life is all about learning lessons and when we refuse to learn we are condemned to repeat them until we do. It's as simple and complex as that.
Poetry aside Mark, I sense you are a guy with a huge heart and a moral compas set to true north. We are all capable of making a difference in this troubled world; I'm sure you do.
Much respect,
Henri
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Thanks, Henri. I have always felt the same way about you and your writings. Writing poems is my way of capturing feelings and philosophies. Applying them to life 100% of the time is not as easy, but I think trying is the important thing. As far as making a difference in the world, I believe what Mother Teresa said is true, that very few of us can do great things, but we can all do little things with great love.
Thanks for the kind words. Always nice to hear from you. I hope you're enjoying the spring so far.
Mark
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=D
i love this one, my parents tellme the same thing, they just dont do it in rhyme. but i think their favorite sayin is 'cant, cant do nothing if cant dont try'. they used to tell that to me all the time when i was little and this reminded me of it and brought it home. and i think that as we get older its more important to remember this, thanx again and great write.
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Wow, this poem is just delightful. It has such a easy flow and natural rhymes and was a excellent piece of poetic wisdom to boot. This reminds me a bit of the wonderful Shel Silverstein, only a touch more serious, but still with a lovely sense of underlying humor. You really have a great poetic gift, and I look forward to reading more of your marvelous work in the new year.
HAVE A MERRY TIME
UNDER THE MISTLETOE!!!
David
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How right you are! Don't ever 'should' on yourself. I like the rest of your ghost words being laid to rest, too. I have to admit to some wistful 'maybe's' however, but it always leaves room for a 'not' and a whole lotta chance. You cut to the chase here.
~ Karen
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Good Morning Mark,
I like this...
I agree...you either do or don't....I will or I won't...I mean when you take your wedding vows, you don't say, "I"ll try"! lol
I love this phrase, the ghost of vocabulary past.
As always, your writes are refreshing!
blessings,
Michelle
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Marvelously done Mark. Reminded me of the words of the great prophet and philosopher, Yoda: “Do or do not... there is no try.”
Wonderful thoughts to capture in a poem…and great words to live by.
Ovations!
Marianne
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WOW I just wrote a really long comment about this and apparently allpoetry decided to log me out, so I hit submit and ended up with the message 'you have to be logged in to comment' GRRRR
So anyways I'll shorten it to bullet points,
Great shit.
Try is something you do not something you say.
Way to use the phrase "dream deferred"
Keep it up.
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