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106 Poems About Life
A collection of short poems about life that we feel are the best to inspire and encourage you. Many times as we journeyed through life, we reflected on the short verses in these poems. Life has its good times and bad, but how we react to
those times will reflect our success and happiness in life.
Let the words of these Poets give you words for reflection. Encouraging poems and verses to uplift
and motivate you in dealing with many different aspects of life. Reading poems can change your perspective and
help you see circumstances in a different light.
While many of the poems are short you will find inspirational words that are full of wisdom.
Short Poems / Poems About Life
Collections of Poems About Life
Popular Life Poems
-
Life Will Yield
Poet: Unknown
We must not hope to be mowers,
And to gather the ripe, golden ears,
Unless we have first been sowers,
And watered the flowers with tears.
It is not just as we take it,
This wonderful world of ours
Life’s field will yield as we make it
A harvest of thorns or of flowers.
-
Life Troubles
Poet: Nixon Waterman
Though life is made up of mere bubbles
'Tis better than many aver,
For while we've a whole lot of troubles
The most of them never occur.
-
A Life Built
by William Arthur Ward
A life built on the sands of celebrity
Can be wrecked by the rains of reverses.
A life built on the sands of materialism
Can be destroyed by the floods of adversity.
A life built on the sands of pleasure
Can be blown down by the winds of disillusionment.
Only the life that is built on the rock of character
Can withstand the tempests of time.
-
Unity
Poet: Susan Coolidge
If I were told that I must die to-morrow,
That the next sun
Which sinks should bear one past all fear and sorrow
For any one,
All the fight fought, all the short journey through:
What should I do?
I do not think that I should shrink or falter,
But just go on,
Doing my work, nor change, nor seek to alter
Aught that is gone;
But rise and move and love and smile and pray
For one more day.
-
Tell Him So
Poet Unknown
If you have a word of cheer
That may light the pathway drear
Of a brother pilgrim here
Let him know.
Show him you appreciate
What he does, and do not wait
Till the heavy hand of Fate
Lays him low.
If your heart contains a thought
That will brighter make his lot,
Then in mercy hide it not,
Tell him so.
Wait not till your friend is dead
Ere your compliments are said;
For the spirit that has fled,
If it know,
Does not need to speed it on
Our poor praise, . . .
But unto our brother here
That poor praise is very dear.
If you've any word of cheer
Tell him so.
Life is hard enough at best,
But the love that is expressed
Makes it seem a pathway blest
To our feet;
And the troubles that we share
Seem the easier to bear.
-
Life
Poet: Bernhart Paul Holst
My life is a beautiful song,
The days pass swiftly away,
The years speed so quickly along —
It seems like the dream of a day.
My youth was a charming delight,
A springtime of which poets sin;
It dawned on me, happy and bright,
But flew like a bird on the wing.
The years of maturity came.
Fraught with the chances of life;
The labors that were not in vain
Gave stimuli, fruitful and rife.
As student, as teacher, as man.
The seasons so quickly have flown;
The cycles of time swiftly ran
And taken dear friends I have known.
And soon will I turn to the west,
West, where the sun sinks from view.
To welcome the long, peaceful rest,
After bidding all earth-friends adieu.
My life is a beautiful song,
The days pass swiftly away,
The years speed so quickly along —
It seems like the dream of a day.
-
Your Life
Poet: Julie Hebert, © 2011
Each day we are given is a gift,
And a gift we always should appreciate.
When time start to run together,
It's then that our time depreciates.
So try to slow and take each day,
Only one at a time.
Life will always have its ups and downs,
But the ups are more fun to climb.
Every morning awake to accomplish something,
Should be on your mind.
So choose your thought for the day,
And do it and then unwind.
If every day you have a goal,
And every day it gets done.
Life will never run away,
And life will be much more fun.
-
A Balance In Life?
Poet: Catherine Pulsifer, © 2019
How do you get a balance in life?
Our time can sometimes create such strife
How much of your time is focused on
Getting to the top and being number one.
There is more to life than just making money
Look at relationships and spending time with your buddy
At the end of the day, you will see that these things
Relationships are key and happiness they bring.
And if only you seek to have fun and play
You will not find happiness each day
As time goes on with no goals in mind
Life has a tendency to leave you behind.
The time we spend can have so many demands
Balance seems hard to learn and understand
But remember, you have control of it
You decide what you'll permit.
So what does a balance in life mean to you?
Do you consider it in all you do
Take the time to work hard but, also relax
Don't get worn down and overtaxed.
Moderation in life is the key
Balance can result in feelings of happy.
So whatever you do may you find
Work hard but allow time to unwind.
-
Worth While
Poet: Ella Wheeler Wilcox
It is easy enough to be pleasant.
When life flows by like a song,
But the man worth while is one who will smile,
When everything goes dead wrong.
For the test of the heart is trouble,
And it always comes with the years;
And the smile that is worth the praises of earth,
Is the smile that shines through tears.
It is easy enough to be prudent
When nothing tempts you to stray.
When without or within no voice of sin
Is luring your soul away;
But it's only a negative virtue
Until it is tried by fire.
And the life that is worth the honor on earth,
Is the one that resists desire.
By the cynic, the sad, the fallen.
Who had no strength for the strife.
The world's highway is cumbered today,
They make up the sum of life.
But the virtue that conquers passion,
And the sorrow that hides in a smile,
It is these that are worth the homage on earth,
For we find them but once in a while.
-
The Meaning of Life
Poet: Catherine Pulsifer, © 2020
Have you given thought to the meaning of life
Or do you go day to day with the strife
Do you ever step back and reflect
On the meaning of life and every aspect.
What is your purpose in life to be
These are questions you must ask and see
Questions to reflect on and to consider
Are you happy or are you bitter.
Is there more to life than you realize
Do you help others and recognize
That life is not just about you
We are all in it together that is so true.
The years go by in a blink of an eye
What will people say about you when you die?
Will they remember how hard you worked
Or will they remember you as a jerk.
The meaning of life is to me
Sharing and kindness to be
A loving person who helps others
One who realizes that we are all brothers.
-
Values Life
John Sterling
A happy lot must sure be his--
The lord, not slave, of things--
Who values life by what it is
And not by what it brings.
-
The Years Go By
Poet: Catherine Pulsifer, © 2020
When we were young aging seemed like fun
We couldn't wait until the age was done
We then hit our teens and with life came
Some responsibility but still lots of games.
And so the twenty's were realized
And we found we had to get organized.
And before you knew it we hit the big three o!
A party was had, the energy was glad, oh, what a show
Before you knew it they were saying over the hill
You hit the age of forty and had
responsibility for all the bills
Fifty crept up ever so slow
But you wonder where did the years go?
With 60 approaching you look back and see
How fast the years went by, oh, you need more coffee
70 flys by in a blink of an eye
You just grin and kiss the years goodbye.
Then 80 arrives with a blast
With family around you wondering how long you will last.
While the words may seem funny,
Aging can truly be sunny
Live your life and
Let aging have its way
Enjoy your life and keep smilin'
The years will pass by that is for certain!
-
Struggles Come Your Way
Poet: Catherine Pulsifer, © 2020
Just because struggles come your way
Doesn't mean it can ruin your day
The good and the bad are a way of life
Don't get down, move beyond the strife.
We must live life, taking things in stride
Helping each other, stoping any divide
Life is better when we support and love
And that is what's expected from above.
You see we were given choices to make
We are not robots, we are not fake
So if you're faced with a trial or two
Don't give up, let others help you through.
-
What Is This Life
Poet:
W. H. Davies
WHAT is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?—
No time to stand beneath the boughs,
And stare as long as sheep and cows:
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass:
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night:
No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance:
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began?
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
-
Everybody Is Lonesome
Poet Unknown
Way down deep within their hearts
Everybody's lonesome;
Far within their secret parts
Everybody's lonesome.
Makes no difference how they smile,
How they live or what their style;
Once in every little while
Everybody's lonesome.
People first in big affairs —
Even they are lonesome.
Maybe like to put on airs;
Just the same, they're lonesome.
Men for whom existence blends
Every good; who gain all ends,
Still reach out their hands for friends;
Everybody's lonesome.
Women, silk-clad, jeweled fine.
Yes, they, too, are lonesome;
When their gems the brightest shine.
They are just as lonesome.
Some must serve and some command.
All still seek, with groping hand.
Love, and friends who understand.
Everybody's lonesome.
Though your gift of friendship's small
Everybody's lonesome.
It may answer someone's call;
Someone who is lonesome.
Give, and give with might and main;
Give your hands, and join the chain,
And your gift will be your gain
Some time, when you're lonesome.
-
When Does Life Begin
Poet: Catherine Pulsifer, © 2020
Does life begin when you obtain more things?
Or does life begin when you make big earnings?
Does life begin when tomorrow dawns
Or does tomorrow just make you yawn?
The only life we have to live
Is today, the day we have to give
Don't wait for a certain thing
For happiness to bring.
Live each day and live it full
Don't waste it and be a fool
Begin each day and be thankful for
All that the day has in store!
-
Life Is For Livin
Poet: Catherine Pulsifer, © 2020
Life is meant to be lived each day
Do our best in every way
Set our goals and work towards
The achievement and its rewards.
We must always appreciate
And take the time to initiate
Relationships that are key to life
To help us through daily strife.
No sense worrying about what tomorrow holds
Live today and see it unfold
Be thankful for what we've been given
Each day is a time for truly livin'!
-
Not Worth Fooling With
Poet: Strickland Gillilan
What - "life is not worth fooling with?"
You're right, my lad, you're right!
Just spread that doctrine far and wide,
and spread it with your might.
Life never is worth "fooling with" -
this is the truth you're giving.
It isn't worth the "fooling with,
" but it's wholly worth the living!
You say it's "not worth fooling with" -
the task assigned to you.
You're right again, impatient lad;
the thing you say is true.
Perhaps not in the sense you mean -
if so, there's trouble brewing.
Your job is not worth "fooling with"
but it's surely worth the doing!
"No, tasks are not worth "fooling with"
- 'tis not what tasks were made for.
You must not fool with them at all' -
that's not what you are paid for.
The best that's in you, body, soul and mind,
you should be giving
To what your hands have found to do -
not "fooling" - toiling, living!
-
What Are
Poet: Catherine Pulsifer, © 2020
What are the things you are thankful for?
Do you focus on whether you're rich or poor;
Or are you content or looking for more;
Do you focus on material things;
Do you think happiness they will bring;
Do you focus on making more money;
Does money bring you more of life's honey.
What are the things you are thankful for?
Is it "when this happens" tomorrow will be -
I will be happier just wait and see.
Do you miss the sunset and sunrise or do you see
That time passed by because you are too busy.
When family and friends call you on the phone
You're too busy you say, with a groan.
The things to be thankful for money can't buy
Money and things just can't supply
Be thankful for the simple things - just stop and see
People who love you to every degree.
The breathtaking sunset and the sunrise
Can delight your eyes and give such a surprise.
So take time and be thankful for the simple things
Today they surround you and happiness they can bring.
-
Only A Smile
Poet: George McDonald
Only a smile was given me
On the crowded street one day,
But it pierced the gloom of my saddened heart
Like a sunbeam's ray.
The shadows of doubt hung o'er me,
And the burden of pain I bore,
And the voice of hope I could not hear,
Though I listened o'er and o'er.
But there came a rift in the crowd about,
And a face that I knew passed by,
And the smile I caught was brighter to me
Than the blue of a summer sky;
For it gave me back the sunshine,
And it scattered each somber thought,
And my heart rejoiced in the kindly warmth
Which that kindly smile had wrought.
Only a smile from a kindly face
On the busy street that day;
Forgotten as soon as given, perhaps,
As the donor went her way;
But straight to my heart it went speeding
To gild the clouds that were there,
And I found that of sunshine and life's blue skies
I also might take my share.
-
Rainy Days
Poet: Patience Strong
When raindrops fall and skies look grey-
You hear so many people say-
What awful weather!- with a groan,
they watch the rain come pouring down.
They grumble if they venture out,
and if indoors they prowl about,
with doleful faces all day long-
and then, of course, things all go wrong.
But if we're happy right deep down -
inside our hearts, we never frown
because the rain clouds gather low.
We take our brightness where we go.
Outside conditions can't annoy-
when we possess that secret joy-
that inward radiance nothing dims.
So rise above the weather's whims!
Why wait for the capricious sun?
You'll find that there is lots of fun
in being kissed by soft cool showers,
and laughing with the grateful flowers.
-
Stress Relief
Poet: Catherine Pulsifer, © 2020
Stress can seem to compound
Making it hard to rebound
If we don't find relief
It can fill us with such grief.
You need to find a way
To control stress before you go
gray.
It may be a simple thing
Like taking a walk, or running.
Life challenges need to be
Put in perspective, so you can see
Not all things have to be done
You need some time to have some fun.
Sometimes we just need to talk
Or go with a friend for a walk
Talking to others can get it off your chest
Allowing you to move forward at your best.
A question to ask yourself sometime
"Will this matter in 5 years time?"
If it does, then take action now
And if not let it go somehow.
The worse thing you can do
Is to let stress overwhelm you
Find relief, so you can proceed
It will help you to succeed!
-
Little Things
Poet: Catherine Pulsifer, © 2020
Simple things are the little things
Such happiness they can bring
From watching a sunrise
To giving a child a simple surprise.
If we stop and look and see
How simple things in life can be
The best and happiest times
During our life journey climb.
- Creed
Poet: Edgar A. Guest
I would live this life so well
Strangers of me praise might tell
Somehow I would like to be
Cherished here in memory.
Not as one whose skill was great;
Not as one who conquered fate;
Not as one who rose to fame,
Leaving a remembered name,
But as one who served some need
With a timely, kindly deed.
I would have my life be told
Not in glory or in gold,
Or in books which students read,
Giving name and date and deed
Of a dead man labeled great
Let mine be the lesser fate
Let me be to print unknown;
O'er my grave no towering stone.
'Tis sufficient at the end
To be mourned for as a friend.
-
Happy Times
Poet: Kate Summers
Holidays are meant to be
Happy times for all to see
The time may be a special occasion
Or it may be a two week vacation.
No matter what the holiday
Whether at home or away
Be sure to relax, fun to be had
A time for all to be glad.
-
A Lesson From The Clock
by John Imrie
Tick, tick, tick, tick,
Time flies so quick,
With never ceaseless motion;
Our moments pass
Like sands in glass,
Or wavelets of the ocean.
Thus moments go,
For weal or woe,
And none returneth ever;
How mindful we
Should ever be
To spend with wise endeavour.
The life of man
Is but a span.
Short, transient, and fleeting;
With here and there
A joy or care,
A parting or a meeting.
Then let each hour,
Like beauteous flower.
Some fragrance send to Heaven;
To God above,
In grateful love,
Lot ransomed powers be given.
-
Downsizing Means
Poet: Catherine Pulsifer, © 2015
My previous life when I heard the term
downsizing meant a turn for worse
But now we are talking not about a job
We are talking about a smaller home
Letting go of space
Letting go of material things
Less room
Will this be doom?
But the benefits to me
Less housework you see
Lower heating costs
And a cosizer house
So now when I hear the term
Downsizing means
Living simply with
The things that mean something to me!
-
A Psalm of Life
Poet: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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.
Life is real! Life is earnest! And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest, was not spoken of the soul.
Not enjoyment, and not sorrow, is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow find us farther than to-day.
Art is long, and Time is fleeting, and our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating, funeral marches to the grave.
In the world’s broad field of battle, in the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle! Be a hero in the strife!
Trust no Future, howe’er pleasant! Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act,— act in the living Present! Heart within, and God o’erhead!
Lives of great men all remind us we can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us footprints on the sands of time;
Footprints, that perhaps another, sailing o’er life’s solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother, seeing, shall take heart again.
Let us, then, be up and doing, with a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing, learn to labor and to wait.
-
Life
by Mary C. Ryan
Oh! what is life, but a short breath,
The heavings of a breast,
A soul's strange dream while on the earth,
A vague and brief unrest?
Each year is a tidal wave,
Hastening us o'er life's sea;
A warning voice from the cold grave,
Where all is mystery.
E'en like a harp carelessly strung,
Life sounds no perfect chord.
The sweetest strains that can be sung,
Are marred with harsh discords.
If days, the notes of life's great song,
Could all be played aright.
Oh ! then the world as one vast throng
Would listen at its might.
-
Red Geraniums
by Martha Haskell Clark
Life did not bring me silken gowns,
Nor jewels for my hair,
Nor signs of gabled foreign towns
In distant countries fair,
But I can glimpse, beyond my pane, a green and friendly hill,
And red geraniums aflame upon my window sill.
The brambled cares of everyday,
The tiny humdrum things,
May bind my feet when they would stray,
But still my heart has wings
While red geraniums are bloomed against my window glass,
And low above my green-sweet hill the gypsy wind-clouds pass.
And if my dreamings ne’er come true,
The brightest and the best,
But leave me lone my journey through,
I’ll set my heart at rest,
And thank God for home-sweet things, a green and friendly hill,
And red geraniums aflame upon my window sill.
-
Two-Sided
by William Arthur Ward
Life is strange, two-sided thing...
A dirge to chant, or a song to sing;
A sad, cold world, or a thrilling place,
A tough, old grind, or an exciting race.
A drudge-filled chore or a challenging dare,
A thorny bush,or a flower fair.
A task to do or a chance to give,
A day to spend or a life to life.
-
When?
Poet Unknown
When fortune with a smiling face
Strews roses on our way,
When shall we stop to pick them up?
Today, my love, today!
But should she frown with face of care
And speak of coming sorrow,
When shall we grieve, if grieve we must?
Tomorrow, love, tomorrow!
If those who've wronged us own their fault.
And kindly pity, pray
When shall we listen and forgive?
Today, my love, today!
But if stern justice urge rebuke.
And warmth from mem'ry borrow,
When shall we chide, if chide we must?
Tomorrow, love, tomorrow!
-
Time Is Swift
Poet: Unknown
Pluck the rose while blooming;
Now 'tis fresh and bright;
Wait not till to-morrow;
Time is swift in flight.
Do thy deeds of kindness
Ere to-morrow's light;
What may come, we know not;
Time is swift in flight.
Would'st thou make life useful.
Work before 'tis night;
Else thou'llt be regretting.
Time is swift in flight.
-
Somehow Or Other
Poet: Unknown
Life is a burden to every one's shoulder
None may escape from its troubles and care;
Miss it in youth and 'twill come when we 're older,
And fit us as close as the garments we wear.
Sorrow comes into our home uninvited,
Robbing our heart of its treasures of song;
Lovers grow cold and our friendships are slighted,
Yet somehow or other we worry along.
Midst the sweet blossoms that smile on our faces
Grow the rank weeds that would poison and blight;
And e'en in the midst of earth's beautiful places
There's always a something that isn't just right.
Yet oft from the rock we may pick a gay flower,
And drink from a spring in a desolate waste;
They come to the heart as a heavenly dower,
And nought is so sweet to the eye or the taste.
Every-day toil is an every-day blessing,
Though poverty's cottage and crust we may share;
Weak is the back on which burdens are pressing,
But stout is the heart which is strengthened by prayer.
Somehow or other the pathway grows brighter
Just when we mourned there was none to befriend;
Hope in the heart makes the burden seem lighter,
And somehow or other we get to the end.
-
This Life Is What We Make It
Poet: Maria Frink
Let's oftener talk of noble deeds,
And rarer of the bad ones,
And sing about our happy days,
And not about the sad ones.
We are not made to fret and sigh,
And when grief sleeps to wake it:
Bright happiness is standing by -
This life is what we make it.
Let's find the sunny side of men,
Or be believers in it;
A light there is in every soul
That takes the pains to win it.
Oh! there's a slumbering good in all;
And we perchance may wake it
Our hands contain the magic wand -
This life is what we make it.
Then here's to those whose loving hearts
Shed light and joy about them!
Thanks be them for countless gems
We ne'er had known without them.
Oh! this should be a happy world
To all who may partake it:
The fault's our own if it is not -
This life is what we make it.
-
Through Life
Poet: Unknown
We slight the gifts that every season bears,
And let them fall unheeded from our grasp,
In our great eagerness to reach and clasp
The promised treasure of the coming years;
Or else we mourn some great good passed away,
And, in the shadow of our grief shut in,
Refuse the lesser good we yet might win,
The offered peace and gladness of to-day.
So through the chambers of our life we pass,
And leave them one by one and never stay,
Not knowing how much pleasantness there was
In each, until the closing of the door
Has sounded through the house and died away,
And in our hearts we sigh, "Forevermore!"
-
Live For Something
Poet: Unknown
Live for something, be not idle,
Look about thee for employ,
Sit not down to useless dreaming,--
Labor is the sweetest joy.
Folded hands are ever weary,
Selfish hearts are never gay,
Life for thee hath many duties,--
Active be, then, whilst thou may.
Scatter blessings in thy pathway!
Gentle words and cheering smiles
Better are than gold and silver,
With their grief-dispelling wiles.
As the pleasant sunshine falleth
Ever on the grateful earth,
So let sympathy and kindness
Gladden well the darkened hearth.
Hearts there are oppressed and weary,--
Drop the tear of sympathy;
Whisper words of hope and comfort;
Give, and thy reward shall be
Joy unto thy soul returning,
From this perfect fountain-head;
Freely, as thou freely givest,
Shall the grateful light be shed.
More Poems About Life by Famous Poets:
More Poems To Encourage and Inspire
Life is beautiful if we see it that way. We hope these poems give you thoughts on the essence of happiness and contentment that life can offer.
Celebrate the gift of life! Life can be a struggle created by ourselves, as it all comes down to our attitude and how we see the world around us.
May our collection of short poems about life be ones that you share with others.
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