I wish my voice
Had been stilled
Before it broke into
Silvery notes.
I wish my feet
Had been bound
Before they flew into
Rapturous dance.
I wish my ego
Had been crushed
Before the thunderous clap of
Failure.
I wish my hopes
Had been smothered
Before they plunged into
Murky waters.
I wish my heart
Had been hardened
Before Fate milked it of
Piteous tears.
Has Man not wished
That reality were a dream
And wonderous visions
Reality?
Vanita Shukla Hork, 1985
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Tears of Failure
How do you look upon “failure” today? As a mature woman with more experience than you had as seventeen, and probably also with more failures in the baggage, would or should you have stilled your voice and feet?❤️
That’s really a great question, Birte! Some benefits of age are distance, perspective and clarity 😉 I’ve learnt that failure and success are temporal in nature, and really depend on one’s values and metrics. What is success? What is failure? I’m glad I didn’t stop, some of my failures lead to even greater successes 🙂
Moving words. Hope failure was good taken more in the wider context of relationship than regret at failure in actions.
Thanks, John!I must admit, I can’t remember the context of this poem. Either way, failures are valuable lessons, I think. One must recognise the lesson, accept it and move on.