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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 16 of 16. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Michael83 on November 12, 2007, at 20:03:34
I'm sure a lot of people on here have read this poem before, but I first read this poem about 5 years ago and it struck me the very first time I read it. It one was one of those things that while you're reading it, you know this is a moment you will always remember (being the first time you read it) and that these words will stick with you for a long time. I reread this poem atleast once a week, and when needed, often daily. It, in my view, really expresses what makes a good and sound individual. Very few people it seems live by the words in this poem, but those who do I think usually end up going very far in life.
Here is mine, and if you have some line or poem that effects who you are, what is it?
-------------
If by J Rudyard Kipling
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,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!--Rudyard Kipling
Posted by Phillipa on November 12, 2007, at 20:28:32
In reply to Do you have a poem that you try to live by?, posted by Michael83 on November 12, 2007, at 20:03:34
Michael beautiful. Was never into it into saying's mine is the NIKE one Just Do It and that what I'm about to do now the posting ebay. Phillipa ps sorry I'm not the poetry learning kind you will make a wonderful partner for someone with poetry.
Posted by obsidian on November 12, 2007, at 23:19:10
In reply to Re: Do you have a poem that you try to live by? » Michael83, posted by Phillipa on November 12, 2007, at 20:28:32
Hope
Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all,And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.Emily Dickinson
Posted by obsidian on November 12, 2007, at 23:21:19
In reply to Do you have a poem that you try to live by?, posted by Michael83 on November 12, 2007, at 20:03:34
We Grow Accustomed to the Dark
We grow accustomed to the Dark --
When light is put away --
As when the Neighbor holds the Lamp
To witness her Goodbye --A Moment -- We uncertain step
For newness of the night --
Then -- fit our Vision to the Dark --
And meet the Road -- erect --And so of larger -- Darkness --
Those Evenings of the Brain --
When not a Moon disclose a sign --
Or Star -- come out -- within --The Bravest -- grope a little --
And sometimes hit a Tree
Directly in the Forehead --
But as they learn to see --Either the Darkness alters --
Or something in the sight
Adjusts itself to Midnight --
And Life steps almost straight.Emily Dickinson
Posted by Phil on November 13, 2007, at 6:10:10
In reply to Do you have a poem that you try to live by?, posted by Michael83 on November 12, 2007, at 20:03:34
Loss and Gain
WHEN I compare
What I have lost with what I have gained,
What I have missed with what attained,
Little room do I find for pride.I am aware
How many days have been idly spent;
How like an arrow the good intent
Has fallen short or been turned aside.But who shall dare
To measure loss and gain in this wise?
Defeat may be victory in disguise;
The lowest ebb is the turn of the tide.~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Posted by Dinah on November 13, 2007, at 9:04:26
In reply to Do you have a poem that you try to live by?, posted by Michael83 on November 12, 2007, at 20:03:34
My mother used to endlessly quote two poems to me. One of them "I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul" didn't really change my life that much. But the other one fits neatly into my OCD and so has become a part of me.
Myself
I have to live with myself, and so
I want to be fit for myself to know,
I want to be able, as days go by,
Always to look myself straight in the eye;
I don't want to stand, with the setting sun,
And hate myself for things I have done.I don't want to keep on a closet shelf
A lot of secrets about myself,
And fool myself, as I come and go,
Into thinking that nobody else will know
The kind of a man I really am;
I don't want to dress up myself in sham.I want to go out with my head erect,
I want to deserve all men's respect;
But here in the struggle for fame and pelf
I want to be able to like myself.
I don't want to look at myself and know
That I'm bluster and bluff and empty show.I can never hide myself from me;
I see what others may never see;
I know what others may never know,
I never can fool myself, and so,
Whatever happens, I want to be
Self-respecting and conscience free.-Edgar A. Guest
Posted by Sigismund on November 13, 2007, at 12:18:36
In reply to Re: Do you have a poem that you try to live by?, posted by Dinah on November 13, 2007, at 9:04:26
When I was 12 we did The Lady of Shalott, and I loved this........
'Out flew the web and floated wide;
The mirror crack'd from side to side;
"The curse is come upon me," cried
The Lady of Shalott.'which reminds me now of....
'Vacant shuttles weave the wind'
(Eliot, Gerontion)I can't read this without cracking up
'Also pray for those who were in ships, and
Ended their voyage on the sand, in the sea's lips
Or in the dark throat which will not reject them
Or wherever cannot reach them the sound of the sea bell's
Perpetual angelus.'
(Eliot, Dry Salvages)and from King Lear
'When thou dost ask me blessing, I'll kneel down and ask of thee forgiveness'.
Posted by angela2 on November 13, 2007, at 22:16:44
In reply to Do you have a poem that you try to live by?, posted by Michael83 on November 12, 2007, at 20:03:34
Hi Michael83. I have seen that poem before. I didn't know rudyard kipling wrote it. It's a good message!
Posted by AbbieNormal on November 14, 2007, at 18:08:13
In reply to Do you have a poem that you try to live by?, posted by Michael83 on November 12, 2007, at 20:03:34
One I love...by Galway Kinnell
St. Francis And The Sow
The bud
stands for all things,
even those things that don't flower,
for everything flowers, from within, of self-blessing;
though sometimes it is necessary
to reteach a thing its loveliness,
to put a hand on its brow
of the flower
and retell it in words and in touch
it is lovely
until it flowers again from within, of self-blessing;
as St. Francis
put his hand on the creased forehead
of the sow, and told her in words and in touch
blessings of earth on the sow, and the sow
began remembering all down her thick length,
from the earthen snout all the way
through the fodder and slops to the spiritual curl of
the tail,
from the hard spininess spiked out from the spine
down through the great broken heart
to the blue milken dreaminess spurting and shuddering
from the fourteen teats into the fourteen mouths sucking
and blowing beneath them:
the long, perfect loveliness of sow.
Posted by adelaide curtis on November 15, 2007, at 20:56:52
In reply to Re: Do you have a poem that you try to live by?, posted by AbbieNormal on November 14, 2007, at 18:08:13
..before you get hit
with a bucket of sh*t
be sure to
close your
eyes
Posted by Fivefires on November 16, 2007, at 16:13:05
In reply to Do you have a poem that you try to live by?, posted by Michael83 on November 12, 2007, at 20:03:34
I need this poem today and printed it to read now and then, maybe put beneath my glass covered bedside table. A great poem to live by and don't think I recall (bad memory) reading. Did the author have a good life, I wonder? It's okay if you haven't time to answer. Just seems it would take someone w/ some lows w/ their highs to write something like this. I was going to post how depressed and needy was feeling today. Reading this makes my life feel tolerable, for now anyway, for a little while. No need to abandon ship I guess. Thanks for sharing this Michael. You probably have it memorized.
5f
Posted by Michael83 on November 17, 2007, at 3:16:41
In reply to Re: Do you have a poem that you try to live by?, posted by Fivefires on November 16, 2007, at 16:13:05
It's very similar. I've been meaning to post it, but forgot. I also liked obsidian's Dickinson poems, Phils, Dinahs, and everyone else's poems they posted.
---------------------------
The Race by D.H. Groberg
"Quit! Give up! You're beaten!"
They shout at me and plead.
"There's just too much against you now.
This time you can't succeed!"And as I start to hang my head
In front of failure's face.
My downward fall is broken
by the memory of a race.And hope refills my weakened will
As I recall that scene:
For just the thought of that short race
Rejuvenates my being.A children's race-young boys, young men-how I remember well.
Excitement, sure! But also fear;
It wasn't hard to tell.They all lined up so full of hope
Each thought to win that race.
Or tie for first, or if not that,
At least take second place.And fathers watched from off the side
Each cheering for his son.
And each boy hoped to show his dad
That he would be the one.The whistle blew and off they went!
Young hearts and hopes afire.
To win and be the hero there
Was each young boy's desire.And one boy in particular
Whose dad was in the crowd,
Was running near the lead and thought:
"My dad will be so proud!"But as they speed down the field
Across a shallow dip,
The little boy who thought to win
Lost his step and slipped.Trying hard to catch himself
His hands flew out to brace,
And mid the laughter of the crowd
He fell flat on his face.So down he fell and with him hope --
He couldn't win it now--
Embarrassed, sad, he only wished
To disappear somehow.But as he fell his dad stood up
And showed his anxious face,
Which to the boy so clearly said:
"Get up and win the race."He quickly rose, no damage done,
--Behind a bit, that's all--
And ran with all his mind and might
To make up for his fall.So anxious to restore himself
--To catch up and to win--
His mind went faster than his legs:
He slipped and fell again!He wished then he had quit before
With only one disgrace.
"I'm hopeless as a runner now;
I shouldn't try to race."But in the laughing crowd he searched
And found his father's face:
That steady look which said again:
"Get up and win the race!"So up he jumped to try again
--Ten yards behind the last--
"If I'm to gain those yards," he thought
"I've got to move real fast."Exerting everything he had
He regained eight or ten,
But trying so hard to catch the lead
He slipped and fell again!Defeat! He lied there silently
--A tear dropped from his eye--
"There's no sense running any more;
Three strikes: I'm out! Why try?"The will to rise had disappeared;
All hope had fled away;
So far behind, so error prone;
A loser all the way."I've lost, so what's the use," he thought.
"I'll live with my disgrace."
But then he thought about his dad
Who soon he'd have to face."Get up," an echo sounded low.
"Get up and take your place;
You were not meant for failure here.
Get up and win the race.""With borrowed will get up," it said,
"You haven't lost at all.
For winning is no more than this:
To rise each time you fall."So up he rose to run once more,
And with a new commit
He resolved that win or lose
At least he wouldn't quit.So far behind the others now,
--The most he'd ever been--
Still he gave it all he had
And ran as though to win.Three times he'd fallen, stumbling;
Three times he rose again;
Too far behind to hope to win
He still ran to the end.They cheered the winning runner
As he crossed the line first place;
Head high, and proud, and happy;
No falling, no disgrace.But when the fallen youngster
Crossed the line last place,
The crowd gave him the greater cheer
For finishing the race.And even though he came in last
With head bowed low, unproud,
You would have thought he'd won the race,
to listen to the crowd.And to his dad he sadly said,
"I didn't do too well."
"To me, you won," his father said.
"You rose each time you fell."Now when things seem dark and hard
And difficult to face,
The memory of that little boy
Helps me in my race.For all of life is like that race,
With ups and downs and all.
And all you have to do to win,
Is rise each time you fall."Quit! Give up! You're beaten!"
They still shout in my face.
But another voice with me says:
"Get up and win the race!"
Posted by Michael83 on November 17, 2007, at 3:21:52
In reply to Re: Do you have a poem that you try to live by?, posted by Fivefires on November 16, 2007, at 16:13:05
>>>Did the author have a good life, I wonder?
I'm not sure, I guess having a good life is subjective. Only he knew for sure.
>>>Just seems it would take someone w/ some lows w/ their highs to write something like this.
I agree, or atleast someone who has had his/her fair share of life experiences. An emotionally and physically well traveled person.
>>>You probably have it memorized.
=) I do.
Posted by Fivefires on November 17, 2007, at 16:22:43
In reply to Fivefires here's another one you might like » Fivefires, posted by Michael83 on November 17, 2007, at 3:16:41
Oh wow. You're right Michael. I love it too.
Do you by chance ever listen to Harry Chapin music? He was a song writer, but his songs had meaning. There were quite a few about children.
I lost my Dad 3yrs ago and each time in the poem when the little boy looked up, I could see my dad's face. He always had this glimmer in his eyes when I looked at him. It was like he was looking at something special. I think we're lucky if we have someone who looks at us this way. The part about the winning is the getting back up again is truly the way to live. I remember doing it. My vitality has escaped me for some time now though. I just happened to crawl out of bed long enough to post here I feel like I can't or don't want to get out of bed; or get back up, like the little boy. So, it is pretty uncanny you shared this w/ me today, a day when I really needed to hear it.
5f
Posted by Michael83 on November 19, 2007, at 21:41:28
In reply to Poems to live by, posted by Fivefires on November 17, 2007, at 16:22:43
Sorry, I've never heard of Harry Chapin.
Posted by maryhelen on November 21, 2007, at 17:00:38
In reply to Re: Poems to live by » Fivefires, posted by Michael83 on November 19, 2007, at 21:41:28
"The Oak Tree"
A mighty wind blew night and day.
It stole the oak tree's leaves away,
Then snapped its boughs and pulled its bark
Until the oak was tired and stark.
But still the oak tree held its ground
While other trees fell all around.The weary wind gave up and spoke,
"How can you still be standing, Oak?"
The oak tree said "I know that you
Can break each branch of mine in two,
Carry every leaf away,
Shake my limbs, and make me sway.
But I have roots stretched in the earth,
Growing stronger since my birth.
You'll never touch them, for you see,
They are the deepest part of me.
Until today, I wasn't sure
Of just how much I could endure.
But now I've found, with thanks to you,
I'm stronger than I ever knew.author unknown
maryhelen
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