The Measure of a Man

I took a long walk one day

I came across a park bench

The sun was shining

With just the right touch of a breeze

What a day I thought, and sat down

 

I looked down at my hands

I could see the lines of age

And the scars from years of hard work

Weathering my skin

And I thought…

 

What is it that I have really done

My name is not one of fame

Penned in school books

Who will remember me…

What wondrous deeds have I done

 

For a fleeting moment, I sat troubled

How can this be…I have dreams

I have aspirations for my life

So much time has gone by

How can I fix my life

 

Well, I thought about it

And I thought about it

And I realized…I am not broken

There is noting to fix

I have done some wondrous deeds

 

I have experienced the power of love

The cleansing of my soul

The true gift of giving

And receiving only a smile

Or a simple thank you

I have walked out of shadows

Of my former self

And have shed the lies of others

I wore like a second skin

And I have come full circle

 

For the measure of a man

Does not lie in his successes

But in his failures

And it is failure that awakens the soul

And creates necessary change within

Reviews

[Deep in the Woodline...]

Kinda reminds me of one of my favorite sayings:

"The only death you truely die is the one you die everyday by not living. So, dream big! Dare to fail!"

Norman Vaughan -- went to the South Pole with Perry, life-long adventurer, raced every year in the Iditerod Dog Sled race in Alaska well into his 90's, WWII hero.

[Victoria Lee~]

I have read this before and did not even know where to begin to start when it comes to writing a comment. This is just amazing. I really love this write as you look deep inside and find yourself. : )

[Midnitefyrfly]

This was very inspiring. I loved the evolution of self discovery and the realization that failure creates an environmnet for change. Even though my thinking mind tells me this is true, habit still finds me knee deep in guilt for my failures. I am going to add this to my favorites for when I need to be re-inspired :)

[Lydia Shutter]

"it is failure that awakens the soul
And creates the necessary change within"

Brilliant! So wise your words are! When a person is strong enough emotionally to walk out of the shadows, that person is ten feet tall to me! I enjoyed this tremendously. Lydia

[Brianna Brie]

I have experienced the power of love
The cleansing of my soul
The true gift of giving
And receiving only a smile
Yet, alone, a simple thank you

For the measure of a man
Does not lie in his successes
But in his failures
And it is failure that awakens the soul
And creates the necessary change within

You have a good grasp on what is the true meaning of life. Beautiful, thought provoking poem...job well done.

[Crystal L. Test]

this was an interesting piece. I liked the transition of worrying and stress to realizing the life lessons and blessings. It's not making the mistakes that is so tragic...it's not learning from them. I like to think I'm a much wiser and stronger person for having made my own choices (and sometimes mistakes). At least you're living your life the way you feel you should. That is what I'd like to be remembered for.

Great job and thanks for sharing.

[Greg the Bard]

This goes to hope. It is beyound simple understanding. Failure is a learning tree and it happens to us all. How we treat failure and what we do to recover is power unto itself. Great Poem.

[T. L. O'Neal]

This is such a wonderful piece and holds such truth. It's a shame that most will never learn this lesson. Great poem. T

[J. Hampton]

It takes being pressed beyond our limits....to know we can be.
And being forced to try what we don't believe we can....to find out we are able.


(I have experienced the power of love
The cleansing of my soul ) .....................That's it right there!!!

A very personal....nearly a journal
with a philosophical feel

Blessssssssssssssss

[Sweet Temptation]

This piece is very inspirational and interesting. I agree you are clever. In order to succeed, we first need to discover how we failed. Once we have learned from our failures can then succeed. So true, and it gave me something to ponder. I really enjoyed this piece from beginning to end. The pace was good, and the writing was exceptional. I love this piece. Excellent, Michael.

[Deep in the Woodline...]

Another quote of his along the same lines I always try to remember:

"You haven't failed until you quit." ;)