Friday, January 1, 2010

The Test


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The test of a man is the fight he makes,
the grit that he daily shows.
The way he stands on his own two feet,
and takes fates numerous blows.
It takes a real man to stand up and cheer,
while some other fellow stares.
It isn't the victory after all,
but the fight that a brother makes.
The man, who's driven against the wall,
and takes the blows of fate,
with his head held high,
bleeding, and bruised, and pale.
He's the man who'll win in the end,
for he isn't afraid to fail.
It's the bumps you get and the jolts you take,
and the shocks that your courage stands.
It's the hours of sorrow and vain regret,
the prizes that escape your hands,
that tests your mettle and proves your worth,
while you make your daily stand.
It isn't the blows you deal,
but the blows you take on this good old earth,
that shows if your stuff is real.

6 comments:

  1. You are so right! :) It rarely is about what we can inflict on others but rather what we can endure, survive and then choose from those experiences to thrive that wins on the long journey called Life.

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  2. i think Denny says it all !! How we take what is given us and what we take from those experiences is what determines the kind of person we chose to become. awesome poem to start the new poem off with thanks dave!!

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  3. Reminds me of Rudyard's Kipling's poem "If." And also this line from King Lear: "Men must endure their going hence as well as their coming hither. Ripeness is all." Well-said, Dave.

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  4. Dave,
    My father taught me at a young age that a man takes responsibility for his actions and never backs down from adversity. Excellent write my friend:))

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