Questions

Answers required

Some things we do with all our love

and they are filled with beauty.

I ask what should our feelings be

when driven by our duty?

What should we feel when deeds we do

are done with little pleasure?

Confessing here within these lines

am I reduced in measure?

But honesty is what you'll get,

my early counsel spoken

and I for one won't waiver now,

my standards won't be broken.

Reviews

[Einstein Noodle]

"feelings" do run dry ..and often mislead ... but duty bound responsibility lends us a hand up in integrity, pride (the good kind) and a more real selflessness ... "feel good" is not always being "good" eh! ... i feel proud of your speaker for standing strong ... i hope it is for a just cause ;)
E.
ps. strong closing ... i like the rhyming

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Mr E for your thoughts. Always appreciate your visits.

Chris

[Patricia Wedel]

dearest Chris... we need tender moments when someone cares and
understands when we are broken. Many a broken Vase is still beautiful when
mended... the lovely painted forgetmenots are still there with their tear drops... painted in hues of lavender and rose. gently, Pat

[Chris Shaw]

Dear Pat thank you for giving this old poem a much needed airing. Really appreciated. Your review is so thoughtful. Yes broken vases are still beautiful. I have one with a chip on its rim, but I still use it because the sentimental value is so special. I love your response here. It is so gentle. Thank you.

[Jimmy Yetts]

"Duty" is the consideration we--often, reluctantly--show family and close friends whom we love but currently, no longer, like. It is rarely fulfilling; frequently, making us feel like first-class suckers.
Thoughtful and thought-provoking, Lady Christine.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Jimmy for giving this old poem a needed airing. Truly appreciated.

Chris

[Patricia Wedel]

dear Chris... you speak of so many virtues... some of which I still
try to achieve. My father loved to read Shakespeare. There are times
when I read some of his work. The one I love the most is so simple,
but poignant... "Although you have none, obtain a Virtue".
It amazes me to think how many could obtain Virtues, however, it
takes a lot of dedication to put even one virtue into effect.
It would be worth the effort and so essential for a better world.
truly, Pat

[Chris Shaw]

Dear Pat, many thanks for taking the time to read this older poem and to share your thoughts. Most welcome and appreciated.

Chris

[Phill Oz O'fee]

Good question; your poetic words make the reader stop and think! I did read, ‘love’ is a matter of feeling, not of willing, and you cannot love because you will too, still less because you ought to (you cannot be constrained to love); so a duty to love is an absurdity. Great share – but throws up even more question on the issue... :-)

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Phill. There's much I do for love, but some things I do out of duty, and although I get satisfaction, I don't do these things for love:)) Hope that makes sense. Thank you for your review.

Chris

[Phill Oz O'fee]

Make loads of sense Chris - bless... :-)

[Tate Morgan]

Standards are the rocks upon which we build Our lives and they anchor us to civility,

[Chris Shaw]

Absolutely spot on Tate. They are indeed our anchor. Great way of expressing it. Thank you for your words.

Chris

[lightsong]

anything we do without passion means nothing, when You have passion about the work You are doing, You will come out with the best result. and so, let us give love for free, without thinking we will be rewarded for doing so, let it be just natural.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you. Maybe that's what's lacking. I certainly have passion for most of what I do, though not everything. Thank you Light for responding.

Chris

[NotUsinganymore]

Very thought provoking poem. It had a good flow too and I liked it. Sometimes it's better to do things by the heart rather than our brain. (However following by what your brain tells you is better somtimes)

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you JungLee for your thoughtful review.

Chris

[duck]

love the strength and the conviction you have written your poetry in. clear and well worded. no doubt here.

[Chris Shaw]

Hello duck, welcome to my page and many thanks for leaving a review. Pleased you visited.
read moreHello duck, welcome to my page and many thanks for leaving a review. Pleased you visited.

Chris

[Onlyme]

Nice poem Chris, and very true, I can really relate to this tenfold. As felt each and every single word of this ring true for me. But you go beyond selflessness and feel good for the higher rewards of loving someone for one example. Who, needs all the help they can get. Beautiful expressed. Thanks for sharing Dawn.

[Chris Shaw]

Dear Dawn, pleased you could relate well to these words of mine. I hope things start to get better for you and your loved one. Merry Christmas and a better 2019.

Chris

[Onlyme]

Thank you Chris, you are a true sweetheart, bless you Chris, and best wishes to you and your family for Christmas and the coming New Year 2019. hugs. Dawn.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Dawn. Bless you :)

[Onlyme]

Chris, I would just like to say. Thank you for standing by me as a true friend, When I was really having such a terrible time. With everything. It meant so much. You cared and spoke to me. bless you. Dawn.

[Chris Shaw]

You are more than welcome Dawn. When we are troubled we all need friends.

[Onlyme]

Chris, your on the same page as me. I believe that also. But thank you Chris for being YOU.

[Davidgeo]

Duty and love are never equivalent. It degrades love to think of it in a 'dutiful' manner.

Things we do for love certainly do entail duty, this is true... but duty itself is a profane thing, grounded in a more tangible set of circumstance. Those who confuse the two usually end up getting divorced.

It's serendipitous that I just happened to be looking into a lovely economist by the name of Milton Friedman whom, doesn't exactly address this point, but in essence (and more articulately) expresses what I was trying to get at. (see the following video, it's only 4 and half minutes) https://youtu.be/q84y08nu74I

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you David for the link. I'll take a look. Your comments always interesting and welcome. Some of the stuff I do is out of respect and I guess I consider it a duty. Love doesn't always come into it. However I am a caring person. Sending you good wishes for Christmas and the New Year.

Chris