Our Mistakes

We come to terms with our mistakes

to strive, to try, then fail, to win

Seeing what bitter food it makes

tasting the tempting fruits of sin

 

Looking back along the past

succeeding through our strain

Makes us value life at last

with its unending strife and pain

 

Who once failed, find triumph sweet

where once stumbled, cry beware

To the other unaccustomed feet

victory comes to those who dare

 

Are we but images made of God

his work in labored progress

Made from the dust and the sod

our one sheer moment of happiness

 

What strife encumbers, the soul awakes

learning the errors, of our troubled route

Through sorrows, of our sad mistakes

come truths, we could not live without

 

Author's Note

We face them every day, and sleep with them every night. Our character is defined by how we deal with our mistakes! For those of us who learn best the hard way this is both bittersweet and true

Reviews

[Allan Eddings]

As always a lovely piece that is both thought provoking, honest, and simply beautiful. Truly I am most envious! While reading this piece with its lovely - and when speaking of your writing characteristic - lyrical nature that seems to beg one to sing it; I was moved to think of the oldest complete piece of music we have found, the Seikilos epitaph. The lyrics when translated from the original Greek read approximately (this is my own translation, so please be cautious, ha!):

While you live, shine, don't suffer anything at all; life exists only a short while and time demands its toll.

The music that accompanies it is quite beautiful I would recommend seeking it out. Back to point. I could not help but feel repeated here the theme of pain, pleasure, suffering and joy which seems to be an eternal question and inspiration to men and women throughout time. It gave me a lovely sense of belonging.

My own ramblings aside, bravo as always, and again thank you.
A.E.

[Kenneth The Poet]

Wow!

[?]

Very true and bittersweet..I do agree. Doesnt matter how many the mistakes, what matters is how we handle or deal with them.
Beautiful piece Tate..such truth here

[Enigma]

As always, a flawless piece of poetry. Mistakes stain every single journey on earth, and it takes an effort to see the lesson hidden in it and dig it out for the sake of future. Outstanding work. :)

[Rene Velez]

Touching a bit of my soul and choices I have made, wise and comforting.

[roarke]

this is the stand alone stanza:
"Are we but images made of God
his work in labored progress
Made from the dust and the sod
our one sheer moment of happiness"

Mistakes is a categorizing label, and we can certainly talk about mistakes, but we can't change them. I like to, I TRY to (not always successfully) look at them as "choices" for that is how these "mistakes" came to be.
Learning from them is the best approach, growing from them, deciding to choose differently in the future toward better ends.

Your work always provokes some inner and outer dialogue Tate and that's a sign of good work. Well spoken.

[Jazique]

You speak the truth and for are you not a philosopher to make us think this way as I twice or thrice just to capture it all and still at a mist I know those connect to this in the smallest and yet biggest ways even I the smallest but such hints of a mistakes haunt my memories night and day in the shadow of my life from the too kind heart God has given me but, even those like me can make a mistake no matter how kind a soul may be. Anyways Excellent wonderful job in the fails of our life and reference to the bible of the mistake to eat the poison fruit, to creat us in an image and such. Can't wait to read more of your poems its like picking a philosopers brain as its hard to find those you truly look at deeper meanings and see the world for more then it really is.

[Dayran]

A preacher constantly tells people that they have committed sin. A poetic troubadour sings of human loves, mistakes and the happy ending, because he tries harder. Yours, sings and its melody grows sweeter each day. Great write!

[rosemary keogh]

Brill tate and so true. Our mistakes is our learning prosess. Dont think i spelled that right. But hey ill learn. Lol thanks for sharing :-)