Still, We Rise
“You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.”
—Maya Angelou, Still I Rise
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“You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.”
—Maya Angelou, Still I Rise
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - 1807-1882
One ship drives East and another West,
With the self-same winds that blow.
’Tis the set of the sail, and not the gale,
Which tells us the way to go.
Say your prayers, little one, don't forget, my son
To include everyone
I tuck you in, warm within, keep you free from sin
'Til the Sandman, he comesSleep with one eye open
Gripping your pillow tightExit light
Enter night
Take my hand
We're off to never-never landSomething's wrong, shut the light, heavy thoughts tonight
And they aren't of Snow White
Dreams of war, dreams of liars, dreams of dragons' fire
And of things that will bite, yeahSleep with one eye open
Gripping your pillow tightExit light
Enter night
Take my hand
We're off to never-never land
Yeah-yeahNow, I lay me down to sleep (now, I lay me down to sleep)
Pray the Lord my soul to keep (pray the Lord my soul to keep)
If I die before I wake (if I die before I wake)
Pray the Lord my soul to take (pray the Lord my soul to take)
Hush, little baby, don't say a word
And never mind that noise you heard
It's just the beast under your bed
In your closet, in your headExit light
Enter night
Grain of sandExit light
Enter night
Take my hand
We're off to never-never land (yeah)Oh! Yeah-yeah, no
We're off to never-never land
Take my hand
We're off to never-never land
Take my hand
We're off to never-never land
We're off to never-never land
We're off to never-never land
We're off to never-never land
“Never a day did I feel more loved & lovely
Never a day did I soar as more me
Where absolutely nothing was held above me
But waiting always before me”
“Even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget
falls drop by drop upon the heart,
until, in our own despair,
against our will,
comes wisdom
through the awful grace of God.”
“What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence and lawlessness, but is love, and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country, whether they be white or whether they be black.”
It is by no means an irrational fancy that, in a future existence, we shall look upon what we think our present existence, as a dream. —Edgar Allan Poe
(is it a poem or a song?)
This poem describes the purpose of life, and how one should handle the sorrow and struggles along the way. The phrase “Life is real! Life is earnest” suggests that the intent is to look ahead an offer help rather than back in remorse. I wrote about how this poem and Ella Wheeler Wilcox’s poem, “The Winds of Fate”, both influences me in an unexpected way. As I worked with so many job seekers helping them to find jobs I felt as the poem mentions, “ things are not what they seem” and the power of this final stanza:
Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing
Learn to labor and to wait.Both of the poems influenced me to write a non fiction book: Work Matters: Insights and Strategies for Job Seekers in this Rapidly Changing Economy
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - 1807-1882
Poetry Can Inspire and Shape Feelings and Emotions That can Lead to Nonfiction
"The Winds of Fate” by Ella Wheeler Wilcox.
One ship drives east and another west,
With the self-same winds that blow.
’Tis the set of the sail, and not the gale,
Which tells us the way to go.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - 1807-1882
Additional Information on how author Brent M. Jones used this poem
Eldorado the Poem by Edgar Allen Poe
Read moreThe Tide Rises, the Tide Falls, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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