publication_type: Poem

Published: Wednesday, December 6, 2000

If You Dare To Be Different

"If you dare to be different and do not join the crowd If they laugh at your honesty and taunt you when you're proud When they talk of you in whispers and criticize the things you say and do Do not fear them but forgive them They are more afraid than you" --- Nan Witcomb
--- Submitted by Verity Kowal --- New South Wales , Australia
[ See The Complete Publication ] »»
Published: Monday, November 6, 2000

When The Well Runs Dry

"When the well runs dry There's always the ocean, Requiring just A little more motion." --- Copyright © 1999 Bonnie M. Gulan
[ See The Complete Publication ] »»
Published: Monday, October 2, 2000

I Am An Athlete

I AM AN ATHLETE MY LIFE... is exciting, dull violent, calm creative, destructive vital, irrelevant brilliant and foolish. I AM... Courageous, frightened indestructible, frail strong, weak competitive, cooperative selfish and giving. MY SUCCESS IS DETERMINED BY... meticulous planning and unavoidable twists, ingenious strategies and drastic shifts of the tide. I flip for both sides of the coin and get the edge. EVERY DAY... I face unlimited challenge with limited skills. I must succeed though failure is inevitable. I strive each day expecting victory in the face of insurmountable obstacles. I ACCEPT... pain, fear, defeat and humiliation as my due. I KNOW THAT... fate, luck, karma, kismet and destiny are all words used by those who are too lazy to do the work. I STRIVE... for perfection with fallible tools, to create a masterpiece with no paint, no canvas, no brush, to produce rabbits with no top hat. I BUCK... the odds, the system and my own irrational fears. I REFUSE... to quit the perpetual battle against my own achievements. MY COMMITMENT... is to life and my place in the eternal war with death. MY QUEST... is endless and I will die hard but each time I am beaten down I get up and start over, reinforced only by ignorance and determination. I AM AN ATHLETE... IT IS... my curse, my hope, my pain, my joy, my triumph, my tragedy, my dream, my nightmare, my excuse.....and my purpose. --- Copyright © 1998 Lem D. Absher, (Inspired by Peter Gent's book, THE FRANCHISE)
[ See The Complete Publication ] »»
Published: Monday, August 21, 2000

Identity

Identity To please the senses requires impulse. In turn the deliverance is grief. I must look past the pleasures and look at what brings happiness. To please the soul requires fortitude. In turn the deliverance is happiness. Happiness is not earned easily; rather, it is earned through suffering. I have waged an internal battle To differentiate between pleasure and happiness. Through my success I have achieved greatness. Through my failures I have learned success. I've learned to let the shackles of others expectations cripple me. I've learned to be the victim of circumstances. Thus, I've learned impulse. I've learned to create discipline. I've learned to create worth. Thus, I've learned to create happiness Never will I take for granted my impulses and my failures. For, it is the root of my success. If demons of uncertainty and fear appear, I will turn away. If I let them overcome me, I will persevere over them. Happiness is learned. It is not given. Though my learning is not complete, nor will it ever be. I am not perfect. I am not infallible. I am not flawless. I am only because I choose. --- Copyright © 2000 Paul M. David
[ See The Complete Publication ] »»
Published: Wednesday, May 24, 2000

Never Underestimate

"Never underestimate a man's performance. He maybe weak on this matter, But excel on the other, For no one among us is perfect. Instead, learn how to appreciate his best And encourage him to work hard for the rest." --- Copyright © 2000 Tuesday Dy --- Philippines
[ See The Complete Publication ] »»