Determination Poems | Examples

Premium Member Self-determination

Call it karma, call it fate, call it destiny
There is a force unseen that blows our course.
And yet as we roll and tumble 
We wish to be free
And so resist
Shake our fists in defiance of the gods
And innovate, invent and imagine our way
Into a better life.
But still we suffer pains and dissatisfactions
With every up and down,
Still we roll and tumble 
Along the path of our destiny.

But the spark of freedom catches and glows
As we feel it is our right to be “Me!”
My body my choice, my mind my choice
My life to be self-determined…
As the path divides and turns 
Into a broad tangled delta
Before the sea.
Where does it all end? We don’t know
But we can see
The desire to be our own gods of destiny
Unleashes every possibility
From Pandora’s transhuman box of demons
In our lust to just be me.

(9/15/25)
Form: Narrative

Premium Member Courage

It takes courage to do your best,
When you know you will still fail the test.


Premium Member Come what may

From here to beyond eternity
I’ll roam this earth to find you
~ in storm or clement weather



Wordku: 5-7-5 words

AP: Honorable Mention 2025
Form: Other

A Bond of Brotherhood

In a bottle's transparent depths,
ants struggled, waves of chaos
each fighting for life,
yet forming a living pyramid,
a reverberation of unity's might.

Some submerged, others held fast,
a coordinated dance of aid
no panic, no selfish haste,
each ant surrendered to the greater fate.

A spoon's gentle rescue came,
ants emerged, one by one,
until one faltered, slipped back
into the water's grasp.

The last ant turned, dove deep,
clinging tight to the drowning form,
a bond of brotherhood,
a sacrifice that shook my core.

Shame on humans, lost in pride,
building walls, not bridges wide,
ants teach us unity's strength,
a lesson in selfless length.

True power lies in collective might,
let ants' wisdom guide our plight,
unity's lesson, forever told
in their small, mighty hearts of gold.

A Journey in Motion

I lace my shoes 
tight around trembling feet.
Morning fog drifts over the edges of the road 
and I stepped into the chill.

Each pace is a heartbeat, each breathes a quiet prayer.
The way extends beyond sight, its outlines softening into mist, yet I move unwavering.

Memories press like weights, old doubts whisper at my back but the wind lifts my chest, and the horizon bends
toward a soft- stubborn hope.

Rocks bump my soles the sun sears at noon and shades cling to my sides.
Yet the rhythm is steady and true
drags me over pain.

Young laughter takes through the air.
I feel it deep within my bones
a gentle reminder: running is more than distance; 
each step is patched together.

The final mile arrives
legs scream, lungs ablaze
the heart remembers why it started, 
why it runs and pushes forward still.

I move across
not for glory and not for cheers
but for the life each thread
sewed from scattered pieces
into something complete.

The road behind me hums with traces of effort,
each heartbeat a peaceful success
and every sigh a victory.


The Promise He Had

They said he couldn't the path was too steep,
But dreams don't belong to the ones who sleep.
With fire in his heart and a storm in his eyes,
He walked through the shadows, aiming for skies.

A man on a mission, his purpose was deep,
A promise to honor, a vow he would keep.
He stumbled and fell, time after time,
Yet rose ever stronger, with resolve sublime.

He faced the giants, the silence, the flame,
Each scar on his soul whispered his name.
Not driven by praise, nor tempted by gold,
But to honour a story that had to be told.

The spirit within him refused to comply,
It shattered all limits and learned how to fly.
No fear in his voice, no tear in his eye
For even the stars were born in the sky.
Form: Rhyme

Possum Trash

This sandy shore is mine, I am its vassal;
building my fort, I was much too facile.
Just as I finished, here came a passel,
a passel of beach possums, razzle-dazzle.
I'm not quittin', though it be a hassle;
possum trash'l be an awesome castle.
Form: Monorhyme

ANALYSING

We don't know where we're going to 
"Heaven or hell"
But we know where we're coming from 
We know our roots, our very foundation 
We don't know what the future holds for us
But we're not the substance of our circumstances.

We don't know how long
But we know it is certain 
Because change occurs anytime 
It's not very fast, but it's steady 
Because what comes faster, goes sooner 
What comes slowly, stays longer.

We don't know how big it is
But we know it can never be small
Because we've never played the mediocre 
Never settle for anything if not the best 
What it takes to do big, is also what it takes to do small
Discipline and determination makes the difference.
Form: Narrative

Racing against time

Racing against time.
Sailing the hustle tide.
We work where odds outweigh opportunity.

We don't follow systems, we make them.
Children of the soil, barefoot and unshaken.
Belief, the only wealth we ever owned.
Pots kept breaking at the doorway,
So we removed the doors.

We eat what we grow,
but we also grow from what we never had.
No silver spoons,
Just wooden hope and fire-wrapped plans.
They taught us to dream inside lines,
we bled outside them instead.

They named it poverty,
we called it process.
They called it humble beginnings
we saw blueprints.
Brick by broken brick,
we wrote futures with no permission.

Education should empower.
But does the system liberate or sentence?
Everything indoctrination.
Freed in cages,
by systems shaped to look like freedom.

Premium Member Laser focus

i want to lead a life that's resolute
intentional and meaningful

set goals identify priorities
reach for the moon
go all the way

make my dreams come true



AP: Honorable Mention 2025

Premium Member No more excuses

Who are you
to stand in my way?

Step aside ~
I'm here ready to
claim my birthright.



AP: Honorable Mention 2025

The Unfolded Path

In pursuit of promise, he journeyed far,
A dual path of toil and academic star.
Leaving loved ones, a distant shore,
He braved new faces, some warm, others a bore.

Hostility's sting, he wouldn't endure,
Focus on friendly souls, his heart's allure.
Through want and need, he pressed on ahead,
Enticing pleasure, a siren he'd rather be dead.

Night's silence, his studies' sacred space,
Research and lessons, his waking pace.
"A purpose unknown, makes sleep a delight,"
He'd tell himself, through the dark of night.

His children's voices, a heartfelt refrain,
"Daddy, when?" "Soon," he'd say, in love's sweet strain.
Though absence pained, he'd endure the test,
For future's promise, his family's crest.
Form: Rhyme

Premium Member sheer tenacity

sheer tenacity
come the challenges ~
i will thrive



AP: 1st place 2025
Form: Senryu

Premium Member When Waking is a Wonderful Thing

Sleep held me hostage
this early riser, jumped ship
free will is magic.
Form: Haiku

Premium Member B F F' Britians festival of freedom'

Theres a surge inside of Britain..' A tidal wave will rise
Comesl the hour come the hero's lts time for history to
Decide.' In the deep breath of September although the air might
Chill.' The streets will bear true witness.' The station yards
Shall fill.' In every corner of the Nation on every market
Square the vibration will be travelling in the spirit of those
Who care.' As a beacon is to darkness as the Sun is to the
Day, so determination is against tyranny' it can be no other way!'
On the fourteenth of September..And on everyday till then
Speak of right, and stand for justice, fight the good fight.'
Raise a voice, lift up the pen.' Raise the standard..Be ye worthy! every one..Each stand saviour of the other one.' Give three cheers for all
The prisoned hero's..And that Tommy Robinson.!!!
Form: Rhyme

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