Different shapes, different hues,
Different talents, different views,
On the playground side by side,
Every creature filled with pride.
The monkey swung from tree to tree,
“Fish, come climb, and race with me!”
The fish looked up, began to cry,
“I cannot climb, I cannot try.”
The monkey laughed, the crowd did too,
“See, I’m the winner, stronger than you!”
But Rabbit stepped with gentle grace,
“Strength is not the same in every race.”
“Monkey, you’ve won on climbing high,
But now let’s see if you can fly
Or swim as fast as Fish can go,
Into the water, let’s make it so!”
The crowd all cheered, “It’s only fair,
Monkey, swim if you dare!”
The monkey froze, the fish was gone,
Already racing, already won.
The cheers rang loud, the lesson clear,
Respect each gift, hold each dear.
For every creature, great or small,
Has their strength and that is all.
So hear this truth, let it ignite,
Diversity is power, not a fight.
You cannot judge, you cannot compare,
Each soul shines in their own repair.
Together we rise, together we play,
Different, yet equal that’s the way.
In this age of abandoned libraries
and split-second answers
my biggest rebellion
is thought-
art created by a soul
for a soul
It’s nice to think that each of us
Possesses certain skills
Or talents or abilities
Which, maybe, life fulfills.
The lucky ones discover theirs
Perhaps when they are young
And if they’re able, nurture it
From when their hopes have sprung.
For many, strengths stay hidden
And then gradually appear,
At times to even influence
One’s choice of a career.
Yet others never have the chance
To tap into that vein
Where aptitude awaits,
So unaware they might remain.
To those who are unfortunate
And struggle to proceed,
It might be that a little boost
Might help them to succeed.
In my dreams you interrupt,
In my shower you limit water,
Putting in clothes you drum louder
And getting out I'm sweating.
You were to be my strength,
My weakness you turned,
Your tone so unpleasant to hear,
Ready to turn me in to tear my status.
My wish you are not concerned,
Only your will and wish counts,
Going to eat you are tailing me,
And eating you over watch ,with anger.
Finishing my meal seems to hurt you,
Relying on you, you melt for me to fall,
My sorrow burns up in my heart,
And you can't let me have a sip.
Going to sleep, I wait for too long,
And my stomach rumbles due to coldness,
Your words dehumanizes me,
And you turn my night to a nightmare.
A few ways to stay well,
3 ways to you I shall tell.
Believe in yourself,
it helps strengthen your mental health.
Stay fit,
Don’t just quit.
Eat healthy,
And keep your mind and body wealthy.
Address what you’re feeling,
Then you’ll know, with what you’re dealing.
Setbacks you must solve,
old feelings, you must dissolve.
Take care,
And on this note, I bid you farewell.
a strong back,
working legs,
keen eyes,
non-sore shoulders,
feet that do not hurt
ears that work well
these to me are happiness
a strong support system
whether it is your natural family
or your friends,
who have now become your “real” family
a strong work ethic,
enthusiasm for your job and co-workers,
the ability to get along well with others,
the belief you are making a difference in the world
a strong faith,
which keeps hope and optimism in your heart
hobbies or talents that keep you excited
strengths that can keep happiness alive
late i realize
all that's glittering like gold
are my frailties
17 August 2021
Parent Teacher conferences are on Thursday
Tommy has torn up the sign-up sheet three times
Not wanting his parents and teacher to ever meet
To compare notes
and talk about how disrespectful he is
how rude he was that one day.
Expecting nothing wonderful to happen
he is horrified when the teacher calls
And the parents set a time.
He dreads the conference,
Only sensing bad stuff
Fully wrong in his thinking
As he is a wonderful lad,
who needs to learn to focus on his strengths
He has many, but does not believe them as they get together
Speaking to each other in spite of his best efforts to keep them apart.
What would they know? They pretend to like everybody. Even him.
He sits in silence, whipping himself for a one-time infraction.
Securing your strengths
Encased deep inside
Lift every veil
Found in yourself
Accept all the extra
Cautioning panic
Treat it with trust
Understand the menu
Affirm the plea
Laugh off the dull
Invite the alumni
Zero in on the glitz
Act out each stanza
Triple the hunt
Ignore the anti
Option the bravado
Never give up again
Written for the Self-Actualization Double Acrostic Poem Contest
Sponsored by San Woo
When I was a child though bright but always in fright
Accepted whatever the people furled with fury or flurry
Resulted in to know self –my strengths and weaknesses
That gave me a chance to know what I am in reality.
I accepted all challenges to my large family life
Self-acceptance came from meeting challenges
As a result of that, I went beyond all of them.
Learnt, the greatest success is successful acceptance.
One of my grandsons says I am like a fierce tiger
But the fierceness is in my words and not deeds
One of my daughter-in-laws says I am a volcano
Bursting but beneficently and that too very rarely.
I have never numbed myself in trials and tribulations
Nor built mental walls to exclude pain from my life
And have found peace not in denial, but in victory
And never in life have been interested in stolen goods.
+++
November 6, 2014
Form: Free Verse
Third Place win
Contest by Verlena Walker
Know you know your weaknesses and strengths
Know you
Know how you be depends on you
Know
Know you help others when you want to
Know keeping a will is a must
Know the light you share yields results
Know you keep your inner strength
Know
Know your entering your place is more than you think
Know your place is king
Know in you ingredients for life
Know your window to heaven is here
Know knight in shining armor in you
Know
My will is strong
Is that not wrong?
Know I'm bright
Can devil fight!
Know I'm full of love
Give evil the shove!
And I can always grow
In here and now you know!
(not to brag by any means!)
Shed a tear for the dead
hold your love ones close to you
Pray for the child
do what ever you have to do
Let go of the hurt and pain
be strong for the ones lift behind
Hope that the fog clears from your brain
before you completely loose your mind
Plant love in a childs heart
don't give up on everyone
Glue the pieces back that were torn apart
before your name is wrote in stone
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