My Father's Words
Yesterday I finally understood
“Beauty like a tightened bow”
And as read “No Second Troy”
Things, though already clear,
Became even clearer still.
Not just because of Yeats’ words,
But by what my father earlier said.
He told me that life is full of obstacles,
That some surmount those obstacles and
Move on with their lives,
While others remain adrift at sea.
He demanded courage of me,
Courage equal to my desire be happy,
And to understand people are who they are
And will not be changed by me.
My decision must be base on the good as I see,
And not anyone or anything else but that good.
A tighten bow is always ready to be fired.
So Yeats’ beauty of the tightened bow is
Not a just a reference to her visage,
But her readiness to act while others remain still.
Still because their courage does not equal their desire.
My father said I am slow to act
Because I am, in his estimation, a decent and good man.
He said decent and good men quickly fall into a lover’s trap.
And oft times decent and good men are slow to act.
Not because their courage does equal their desire, he encouraged,
But because in overcoming the obstacle they don’t want to hurt anyone.
This is not possible in a storm tossed sea, he said to me.
You must act and do so quickly.
So I must act, and it has nothing to do with
Anyone but me and what is good and right.
The course is set and I will act.
I will not live a life set in misery.
poem by Hal Caufield

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Related quotes

No Second Troy
Why should I blame her that she filled my days
With misery, or that she would of late
Have taught to ignorant men most violent ways,
Or hurled the little streets upon the great,
Had they but courage equal to desire?
What could have made her peaceful with a mind
That nobleness made simple as a fire,
With beauty like a tightened bow, a kind
That is not natural in an age like this,
Being high and solitary and most stern?
Why, what could she have done, being what she is?
Was there another Troy for her to burn?
poem by William Butler Yeats

Submitted by Dan Costinaş
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Yeats Grave
Silenced by death in the grave
W b yeats couldnt save
Why did you stand here
Were you sickened in time
But I know by now
Why did you sit here?
In the grave
W.b. yeats second
Why should I blame her,
That she filled my days
With misery or that she would of late
Have taught to ignorant men most violent ways
Or hurled the little streets upon the grave
Had they but courage
Equal to desire
Sad that maud gonne couldnt stay
But she had mac bride anyway
And you sit here with me
On the isle inistree
And you are writing down everything
But I know by now
Why did you sit here
In the grave...
Why should I blame her
Had they but courage equal to desire
song performed by by Cranberries

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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What Gives You Courage
Without fear there cannot be courage
Fear drives the unthinkable out of us
What gives you courage when there is none?
What gives you courage to get out of bed?
What gives you courage to drive when you know it's dangerous?
What gives you courage to succeed?
What gives you courage to survive?
What gives you courage to strive?
People have courage to live for their children
People have courage to live for themselves
People have courage to live for hope
People have courage because they believe
People have courage to not give up
Fear is not the essence of life
But a free soul not tamed
Courage is the journey of your heart
Guided by strength
On a path of untamed obstacles
Let courage guide you
As you begin your quest
poem by Alisha Ricks

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Coffee Courage
The bitter coffee kicked;
I shook and then I licked
My lips and gave a sigh.
Shattered eyes encouraged,
I nearly had envisaged
Waking up an eye.
Another sip; a jolt –
Not unlike a bolt
Of wattage from the mains.
My sockets under strain,
I tried it once again:
Aha! The light, the searing white –
My God, the bloody pain!
Copyright © Mark R Slaughter 2009
Courage, courage, coffee courage,
Courage, courage, courage,
Courage, courage, coffee courage,
Courage, courage, courage,
Courage, courage, coffee courage,
Courage, courage, courage,
Courage, courage, coffee courage,
Courage, courage, courage,
poem by Mark R Slaughter

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In Courage
In courage-you find
no fear
and in courage-no weakness
does appear
In courage-steps toward
danger taken
and in courage-strength
within awaken
In courage- a hero
takes shape
and in courage- the villain
can't escape
In courage-there is a call
to duty
and in courage-out of ugliness
comes beauty
poem by Dorsey Baker

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Equal
equal,
..equal,
...equal,
....equal,
.....equal,
......equal,
.......equal!
dont it sound good?
wouldnt it feel good?
think about it,
and then do something about it!
equal!
poem by Eric Cockrell

Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Good For Her
Good for her
She left finally that man that abused the hell out of her
She was used and abused by him
She was his slave
He took advantage of her
And only now she had the courage
And she finally said
To him
I have enough of you
She now left him for good
She finally divorced him
She had the courage to leave for good
They were not made for each other
Love has ended
She haven’t lost her pride
She has finally gained back her confidence
Now she can be proud of herself
She can finally go on with her life
I don’t want another man
I will not make that mistake again
I have no love or feelings for him anymore
I have plenty of feelings for myself
I love myself
I have built my trust again
I can walk with my head up high
I was sitting on a high horse
And of course it hurts badly when you fall
But it was a good lesson to learn
poem by Aldo Kraas

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Consceince (Good v Evil)
Good and Evil posses my mind
I'm influenced by these versatile sides
Good and evil both stand equal
A hazardous mix that can be lethal
Doing good doesn't mean you succeed
If it fails to provide your needs
I want Gods forgiveness so I pray and repent
But that wont help to pay the bills and rent
Cant get a decent job, once you being in the cage
And you cant raise a family off minimum wage
I want to do good but that wont meet my expense
So bad is the voice that is making more sense
Is this right or am I just misunderstood
The good is looking bad and the bad is looking good
poem by Nic Hillen

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Courage
the courage to know
the difference
between good and evil
the courage to side
with the good
the faith to move on
even when
alone, i pray to Thee
My Lord
poem by Ric S. Bastasa

Submitted by Poetry Lover
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It Takes Courage
it takes courage to say life goes on
without knowing where you might end
it takes a lot of courage to achieve what
you want to be in life
it takes more courage to forgive
someone that hurt you
it takes more courage to make a tough decision
when you know you might end up paying consequences
it take more than courage
to be responsible and honest
it takes more than what you call courage
to be a real man! !
poem by Mehida Jean Louis

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Take Courage and Never Give Up,
Take Courage and Never Give Up,
Take Courage and Never Give Up,
I can see where we came from,
The Meaning is all Seen in Mine Eyes,
That we are all Blessed from all Our Hard Work,
In all my Comfort from Discomfort,
The Meaning is all Clear that Iam not fading anymore,
In all Parts that I see Courage in all Good Work's,
It is in me that I feel Secure and Hold a Sanctuary Called a Holy Dwelling,
In all Through the Narrow Road Iam taking all Good Works in my agile and deft Skills,
That I may never Tire on all GOOD Works from on High.
poem by Abdul Karim

Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The public airwaves provide a chance to affirm we want to be a good, decent people; a good, decent nation.
quote by Charles W. Pickering

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Where Have All The Good Times Gone!
All my life Ive never stopped to worry 'bout a thing,
Open up and shout it out,an never try to sing,
Wondering if Ive done it wrong,
Will this depression last for long,wont you tell me,
Where have all the good times gone.
Where have all the good times gone.
Where have all the good times gone.
Once we had an easy ride and always felt the same,
Time was on our side and we had everything to gain,
This could be like yesterday,
Is thst me with your happydays,
Where have all the good times gone.
Where have all the good times gone.
Where have all the good times gone.
Ma and pa look back on all the things they used to do,
Never had no money and they always told the truth,
Daddy didnt need no little toys,
Mommy didnt need no little boys,wont you tell me,
Where have all the good times gone.
Where have all the good times gone.
Where have all the good times gone.
Ow!
Yesterday was such an easy game for you to play,
Ah but then lets face it,things are easier today,
Yes you need some bringing down,
Get your feet back on the ground,
Where have all the good times gone.
Where have all the good times gone.
Where have all the good times gone.
Where have all the good times gone.
Where have all the good times gone.
song performed by by Van Halen

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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What's Good
Life's like a mayonnaise soda
And life's like space without room
And life's like bacon and ice cream
That's what life's like without you
Life's like forever becoming
But life's forever dealing in hurt
Now life's like death without living
That's what life's like without you
Life's like Sanskrit read to a pony
I see you in my mind's eye strangling on your tongue
What's good is knowing such devotion
I've been around - I know what makes things run
What good is seeing eye chocolate
What good's a computerized nose
And what good was cancer in April
Why no good - no good at all
What good's a war without killing
What good is rain that falls up
What good's a disease that won't hurt you
Why no good, I guess, no good at all
What good are these thoughts that I'm thinking
It must be better not to be thinking at all
A styrofoam lover with emotions of concrete
No not much, not much at all
What's good is life without living
What good's this lion that barks
You loved a life others throw away nightly
It's not fair, not fair at all
What's good ?
Life's good -
But not fair at all
song performed by by Lou Reed

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Tribute To Courage
Courage is doing what is right
Without having to be told
Courage is manning up
When you know you've done something wrong
Courage is looking the enemy in the eye
And telling them to just bring it
Courage is having fear
But still staying strong
Courage is facing adversity
But being able to overcome it
Courage is leaving your family behind
To defend the country you love
Courage is being a soldier
In the greatest army in the world
Thank you for this courage
That lets us live free
May God bless you
And come home safely to your families
poem by James Elston

Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Words
Yeats so simply stated
' Words alone are certain good. '
And to the great poet
So highly rated
I try to listen, as I should; Yet
Being an untrained novice
Such as me
With verdant hopes of much improvement
- oh that I would -
I beg to slightly differ with W. B.
And offer here my humble opinion
- if I could -
Good certainly is not words alone,
For without humanity
To read and to write
How would they ever become known?
- For without the good of people
Who of these words would care
Ever to be heard, or even shared?
No, the good does not alone from words arise,
Rather from human beings
Whose entire story
Such words do attempt to comprise.......
- Words written in this time
May even the way
To a distant future find,
But not on their own
And never alone.
For it takes people's
- hand's to write
- eye's to read
- heart and soul to understand
The purpose, and the need.
Let it here be shown
Words alone
Are not the only good,
They need human beings
To give goodness and life
To their reason and meaning
For they are merely the vehicle
By which man's true good
Is found and understood.
poem by Smoky Hoss

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Success has name
Each success has name
Women are there to claim
Stands like rock behind
Firm but very much kind
Right from wife
To show the meaning of life
To give a company with courage
How best both the ends to meet and manage!
Delightful figure to a small child
Stick on hand but at heart good and mild
No one can control her when turned wild
If honor and pride was to be seen as blind
As daughter too shown enough of affection
No protest to any one if beaten with reaction
Not only equal love to father, mother and brothers
But around all who live in vicinity and as neighbors
Good teacher, good economist and now good administrator
Right from councilor to chief minister and prime minister
Has served the head of the nation and now liberty torch bearer
Women can lead honorable life without any fear
Sky they have explored and proved good scientists
Stood as solid rock and faced rough weather amidst
So to say bow the head to the feat of glorious mother
Be she a lover, friend, sister or in form of any other
poem by Hasmukh Amathalal

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Who has the heart and courage
Who has the heart
And courage
Wins at the end
To the top
We don't stop
Man was born with a vision
Through that his mission
Yes people ever did it great
But you can do it greater
There are people out there
Doing it good
You can do it better
There is none greater
And none is lesser
Everyone has it
But no one has has it
Make good use of your time
For who you become
Is beyond understanding
For that we still searching
Be who you are
Go as much as far
The storm might hit you
Life might be crooked to you
The battle might be sore
But be courageous
Be serious and get focus
For winners don't quit
And quitters don't win
For who has the heart
And courage
Wins at the end.
poem by Matt Ancient

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A Real Tonic
Hope
Is the real tonic
That
Gives you the courage
To
Lit a candle
In dismal dark...........
Just stick on to it
And see how
with courage
You can rise agin
Every time you fall
And how obstacles
Will vanish...........
Only and only
If You will learn
To carry away small stones
From your life
With the gift of
Faith
Courage
And
Willingness to persist.........
poem by Seema Chowdhury

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Courage Responding
To stay in a pure way is not to live.
We'll get hurt, damage and damaged.
If you love you learn how to cry
If you hate you need love
if you keep hating forgiveness.
If you kill, only the Mighty might help you.
But diamonds are the eye of all that shines made evil.
Yes you need courage to face life in all it's facets.
You need courage to stay open and aware
You need courage to love yourself and others,
who else will feed the seeds of a good sower.
poem by Madrason writer

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