|
Poems About Life
A collection of inspiring 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 /
 - related: Life Quotes
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.
-
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.
-
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'!
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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!
-
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.
-
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'lt 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.
-
The Best Life
Poet: Adelbert P. Caldwell
He lives the best who never doth complain,
Whether the passing days be filled with sun or rain;
Who sows his deeds of love, and, patient, lives,
Expecting not again the thing he gives;
Who buries deep the Past - its pain, its tears -
And bravely meets his Now, untrammeled by fears;
Who lets his life so shine, e'en in the night,
That wanderers distressed may see the Light;
Who patiently toils on, though feet be sore;
Whose home stands by the road with open door;
Who smiles though down he sits to feast or crust -
His faith in man sincere; in God his trust.
-
The Sculptor-Boy
Poet: W. C. Doane
Chisel in hand stood a sculptor-boy,
With his marble block before him;
And his face lit up with a smile of joy
As ah angel-dream passed o'er him.
He carved that dream on the yielding stone
With many a sharp incision;
In Heaven's own light the sculptor shone -
He had caught that angel-vision.
Sculptors of life are we as we stand
With our lives uncarved before us,
Waiting the hour, when, at God's command,
Our life-dream passes o'er us.
Let us carve it, then, on the shielding stone.
With many a sharp incision;
Its heavenly beauty shall be our own -
Our lives, that angel-vision.
-
Life's Golden Goblet
Poet: Nellie Olsen
A golden goblet each man holds,
Its contents energy,
And how we use this rare wine molds
Our endless destiny.
No life so mean but holds this pow'r -
Oh, wondrous, priceless draught!
While hour by hour men ever pour
It forth, and prize it not.
Whatever way this vital force
Is used, results obtain;
For we may bring forth fruit perforce
Of weeds or perfect grain.
Some choose to spill this golden wine
On fleeting things of time,
Nor realize the gift's divine,
And life a charge sublime.
Then wisely pour the nectar forth;
The greatest good secure
From deeds that have the highest worth
And ever shall endure.
Seek not for deepest soul content
From earthly sources, then,
But let your choicest force be spent
In doing good to men.
-
Life
Poet: C. W. Naylor
What is life? 'Tis but a vapor
That remains but one brief day;
Though our hands are stretched to stay it,
It must quickly pass away.
Fleeting are its joys and gladness,
Though we fain would hold them fast;
Nothing lingers save a memory
Of the things that now are past.
Yet our life is what we make it,
More than what our lot may be -
Mild and gentle, sweet and loving,
Like a sunbeam all may see;
Or it may be hard and bitter,
Filled with envy, hate, and woe,
Seeking only vain self-glory,
As we tread our path below.
If our motive be to lighten
Other souls oppressed by care,
We shall find that our own burdens
Are made easier to bear.
If to shed on those around us,
Gleams of hope to cheer them on,
We behold those rays, reflected,
Turn our darkness into dawn.
Life is not a dream of fancy,
Not a worthless stretch of years
To be squandered in our folly,
Then to end in bitter tears;
But a time for earnest striving
For the right, the good, the true,
Helping every one around us,
Cheering hearts our journey through.
Life is full of deepest meaning,
Hidden 'neath the gilded dross;
But its depth is only fathomed
In the shadow of the Cross.
Could we feel that every action,
Every thought and word, would be
Witness for or 'gainst our spirits
Throughout all eternity;
Could we realize the weight of
Each day's work for good or bad, -
Would our consciences acquit us?
Would the knowledge make us glad?
Or that voice within the bosom,
Would it speak but to condemn
For the life and the example
Lived before our fellow men?
Life means much, and could we value
Every moment as it speeds
On so quickly past recalling,
Would we spend in evil deeds
Days and months to us so precious,
Time we can not value now
As we shall when life is ebbing-,
And death's dew is on our brow?
When we near that dark, cold river,
Shall we look back with regret
On a life far worse than wasted,
That we wish we might forget?
Noble deeds and brave endeavor
Bring no pangs in coming days;
Evil has its own requital;
Folly ends in sorrow's ways.
Life is more than mere existing,
Drifting aimlessly along,
Yielding to each flitting fancy,
Whether it be right or wrong;
We are building, daily building
For the ages that shall be,
And the structure we are rearing
Shall abide eternally.
'Tis our future selves we're building,
And our work will surely stand
Through unceasing ages ever,
Whether it be vile or grand;
Build, then, wisely for tomorrow:
With today thy work is done;
Haste thou, lest the good intended,
At the eve be not begun.
-
How To Live
Poet: Horatius Bonar
He liveth long who liveth well;
All other life is short and vain:
He liveth longest who can tell
Of living most for heavenly gain.
He liveth long who liveth well;
All else is being flung away:
He liveth longest who can tell
Of true things truly done each day.
Waste not thy being; back to Him
Who freely gave it, freely give:
Else is that being but a dream;
'Tis but to be, and not to live.
Be what thou seemest; live thy creed;
Hold up to earth the torch divine;
Be what thou prayest to be made;
Let the great Master's steps be thine.
Fill up each hour with what will last;
Buy up the moments as they go:
The life above, when this is past,
Is the ripe fruit of life below.
Sow truth, if thou the true wouldst reap;
Who sows the false shall reap the vain;
Erect and sound thy conscience keep;
From hollow words and deeds refrain.
Sow love, and taste its fruitage pure;
Sow peace, and reap its harvests bright;
Sow sunbeams on the rock and moor,
And find a harvest-home of light.
-
Only A Moment
Poet: P. B. Davis
Only one little moment;
All our work to be done -
Sheaves of a life-time gathered,
Victories lost or won.
No time to be standing idle;
No time to be gazing back
To the flowers we leave ungathered-
We can not retrace the track.
No time for vain repining
O'er battles we have lost;
Nor after every conquest
To sit and count the cost.
No time for idle dreaming
Of victories to be won,
Of pleasures that may greet us
When the moment's work is done.
No time for hate and malice;
No time for idle strife
We've only just a moment
In which to live a life.
Only one little moment;
All our work to be done -
Sheaves of a life-time gathered,
Victories lost or won.
-
The Happy Life
Poet: Thomas Campion
The man of life upright,
Whose guiltless heart is free
From all dishonest deeds,
Or thought of vanity;
The man whose silent days
In harmless joys are spent,
Whom hopes cannot delude,
Nor sorrow discontent, -
That man needs neither towers
Nor armour for defence.
Nor secret vaults to fly
From thunder's violence:
He only can behold
With unaffrighted eyes
The horrors of the deep
And terrors of the skies.
Thus, scorning all the cares
That fate or fortune brings,
He makes the heaven his book,
His wisdom heavenly things:
Good thoughts his only friends,
His wealth a well-spent age,
The earth his sober inn
And quiet pilgrimage.
-
Life As A School
Poet: Maltbie Davenport Babcock
Lord, let me make this rule
To think of life as school,
And try my best
To stand each test,
And do my work,
And nothing shirk.
Should some one else outshine
This dullard head of mine,
Should I be sad?
I will be glad,
To do my best
Is Thy behest.
Some day the bell will sound,
Some day my heart will bound,
As with a shout
That school is out,
And lessons done,
I homeward run.
-
Real Life
Poet: James Freeman Clarke
To know that there are some souls, hearts and minds,
Here and there who trust us and whom we trust:
Some who know us and whom we know:
Some on whom we can always rely and
Who always rely upon us,
Makes a paradise of this great world:
This makes our life really life.
-
It's Life
Poet: Edgar A. Guest
If your plans go wrong, as they sometimes will,
And the hours seem long as you climb the hill;
Remember, my friend, 'tis a part you play.
You'll find in the end a brighter day.
It's life.
If a heart grows cold that warmed to you.
And a friend you hold to be staunch and true
Has faithless turned, take heart, my friend,
'Tis a lesson learned. With a bitter end.
It's life.
You may win great fame and wealth today;
Or taste of shame and deep dismay.
You may lose or gain, may rise or fall,
Both joy and pain must come to all.
It's life.
For every smile there is a tear;
For every mile both hope and fear;
When some are gay some must be sad;
Along our way are good and bad.
It's life.
Whate'er may be your share of woe,
Next day may see you come to know
A joyful heart and perfect rest;
So play your part and do your best.
It's life.
-
Don't Lose Your Goat
Poet: David V. Bush
Jim Casey had two balls; two strikes; as he stood up to bat,
"Ball three" was called - another came - when 'Holy Smoke! Whats that?'
Clean over third, beyond the fence, the flying sphere he smote.
And scored a straight home run because he didn't lose his goat!
And so in life's big game, young friend, the one who leads the score
Is he who calmly meets each shock and stands alert for more;
You'll be abused and nicknamed, son, with every curse afloat,
But always can come out on top if you dont lose your goat!
You'll make mistakes aplenty, boy, but don't let that distress,
So long as you've the staying power to mend each passing mess;
There's much you can afford to lose, though others jeer and gloat;
So long as you don't lose your grip, or let 'em get your goat!
Though many men will try their worst to make you slip and fall,
Just pay no heed, but keep your nerve - the greatest thing of all;
Give up, if need be, house and home; give up your cap and coat;
But if you're truly out to win, don't dare give up your goat!
From rich and poor, from strong and weak, will come a thousand snares;
Let each one but a lesson be, to guide past future cares.
Your losses all to one great end with cheerfulness devote.
For not a one can set you back unless you lose your goat!
-
The Neighborly Man
Poet: Edgar A. Guest
Some are eager to be famous, some are striving to be great,
Some are toiling to be leaders of their nation or their state,
And in every man's ambition, if we only understood,
There is much that's fine and splendid; every hope is mostly good.
So I cling unto the notion that contented I will be
If the men upon life's pathway find a needed friend in me.
I rather like to putter 'round the walks and yards of life.
To spray at night the roses that are burned and browned with strife;
To eat a frugal dinner, but always to have a chair
For the unexpected stranger that my simple meal would share.
I don't care to be a traveler, I would rather be the one
Sitting calmly by the roadside helping weary travelers on.
I'd like to be a neighbor in the good old-fashioned way,
Finding much to do for others, but not over much to say.
I like to read the papers, but I do not yearn to see
What the journal of the morning has been moved to say of me;
In the silences and shadows I would live my life and die
And depend for fond remembrance on some grateful passers-by.
I guess I wasn't fashioned for the brilliant things of earth.
Wasn't gifted much with talent or designed for special worth,
But was just sent here to putter with life's little odds and ends
And keep a simple corner where the stirring highway bends,
And if folks should chance to linger, worn and weary through the day.
To do some needed service and to cheer them on their way.
-
Motive In Life
by Stephen F. Herben
What is your motive in life?
Every life finds its chief inspiration somewhere.
Perhaps it is to succeed?
But what do you mean by success?
Is it to gather together dollar after dollar;
To stand in a conspicuous place in the social circle;
To achieve some great result in invention,
In commercial life, in art, in letters, in politics, in the professions;
To indulge in the pleasure of the world life;
Or is it to so live, that by the unhindered utterance
Of the highest instincts and impulses of the heart,
You shall make some permanent contribution toward the uplifting of men?
The interpretation of life depends altogether upon the motive that inspires it.
A listing of All 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.
Short Poems |
Quotes |
About Us |
Contact Us |
|
