I wrote this poem in 1985, 17 years old. It describes the pain of failure. If we respond to failure with dejection, we lose the opportunity to learn from it. Compare this poem to the victorious tone of Ascension, written almost 40 years later in 2023.
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
If you liked this poem, you will enjoy my book Memories from another Lifetime: Pain. Available on Amazon, free on KindleUnlimited. Please do leave a review.
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.