In Quitting

Brief yet complex, hopefully these poems speak for themselves

In quitting,

            One lays one’s power down

            To weakness

The power exists

But the weak

            Have lost recognition

Author's Note

Page 7- From my first book CANTUS (2010). My other two books are Syzygy (2020) and Dose (2016)

Reviews

[Susan 🦋]

So this caught my eye… probably because it could be debated. Perhaps one could simply get frustrated and quit, not willing to try or recognize their own strength to overcome. But maybe their are times when quitting is the best thing for the soul… hmmmm 😊 Nice write full of questions!

[Brad Dehler]

Thank you Susan! Precisely. This is the fulcrum, the indecisive middle between that time. Before the label of champ or quitter or stubborn or wise

[Masked writer]

Dam to true to the world today...Thankyou for this

[emmajoygreen]

Read this post twice, still thinking. In life, surely, we have choices.. to quit when wrong, to think about quitting when we don't know the right from the wrong. The choice is ours alone, each of us whole and for that fact alone, can make decisions without condemnation from those holier than thou! No reason to query, what matters is your poem is stronger than a blade of grass because it doesn't cut down the logic of it.

[Brad Dehler]

Thank you for your take on it Emmajoy! Very interesting and insightful. I appreciate your message here very much. Have a great day!

[Jenni Bailey]

Such power behind the words! Beautifully written

[Brad Dehler]

Thank you!!

[Richard🖌]

Happy 2023, Brad!
I so enjoy work from a writer keen minded enough to create a thought-provoking piece, and you've done so quite articulately, with a unique presentation and conciseness.

"Quitters never win!" But, there often come sensible times to realize one's own limitations.

If one is acting like an idiot, seems it would always the right time to quit.
If one is being destructive, bullying, unkind, unproductive, etc; etc; etc; there's seldom ever good reason to persist.
Positive reasons to quit could be almost indefinite, with equally as many valid reasons and circumstances to never give-up.

As for "recognition," in the end, each of us must choose the ways we're willing to be considered by others and oneself.

Brad, you pose sensibility in a most enticing manner that, obviously, stirred my olde gray matter … thank you for the share.
KUDOS! ⁓ Richard🖌

[Brad Dehler]

Thank you for the response to the poem Richard! I have read it several times. I appreciate it so much. I want to return to this with more thoughts. Right now i am reveling in your words. Thank you x100

[Richard🖌]

Obviously, Brad,
You pushed one of my more loquacious buttons. : )

It was my distinct pleasure, Syr Poet.

[Brad Dehler]

I am eternally grateful. I appreciate so much your care, concern and insights in the matter. And it is a great compliment i hold dear.

[DIVYA]

In quitting, there is loss of heart, the most powerful part of us.
Weakness wins as we become our own weakness and perhaps thus weakened, we lose our own recognition.
Sometimes, the decison to quit is logical but logic was never from the heart and its the heart that drives us mostly.
A complex yet very fascinating poem and one I enjoyed thinking on.

[Brad Dehler]

It thrills me to know that this poem got you thinking and that it was enjoyed. Thank you so very much!

[Dennis Wolf]

In other words while you're strong, you get to decide how things go... When you're not, that becomes a luxury too pricey for you.

Well, human beings can endure a LOT of abuse and still come out fighting... Most of them anyway.

Quitting is normally an option to consider once the fight and its outcome are no longer of any consequence... But even then, we're programmed from childhood on to uphold these images that were supposed to be us.... And if nothing else, the integrity of that image is reason enough to fight... But is it worth it... That's a different question.

Shorter than I had expected but heck. I wrote another essay, so you've done something right.
Cheers

[Brad Dehler]

I am encouraged by your essays sir. Very good. Yes, again the charm of poetry. So much said and presenting different lights of the prism. Totally- that juxtaposition of weakness vs strength but when down, not necessarily out...

[Dennis Wolf]

It does not really matter how many times you go down... So long as it's not the last time.
read moreIt does not really matter how many times you go down... So long as it's not the last time.

Life and even art are hollow and meaningless without failures along the way...

The grit and dirt and all the baggage that comes with it is the stuff that pushes people to improve...

Always try to be better than anything you've produced before.
Cheers

[Brad Dehler]

Well delivered Dennis, thank you

[Chris Shaw]

Many quit too early because they do not know that persistence pays off. When you stick and achieve, you feel great. That is powerful. Good read.

Chris

[Brad Dehler]

Thank you Chris! Yes this is about persistence. It is something else entirely to cut loss and quit. But this is the case where It needs to be stuck with; Stick stay make it pay. Thank you for your kind words

[W. Barrett Munn]

The key to quitting is to not engage a losing position.
Winston

[Fabian G. Franklin]

I don't know that continuation is always a sign of strength. There are people who quit marriages because they realize there's no future there, to escape an abusive spouse or irreconcilable differences. There are people who quit jobs because they see no chance of advancement or they feel no appreciation for their work and only want to better themselves and their careers. Sometimes quitting is the best course of action and can require greater courage and more common sense than simply waiting for things to get better. Why give power of your life over to an ungrateful boss or a belligerent spouse? Oh, I agree that dogged determination and tenacity can be winning traits and laudable under the right circumstances but not always. Like most things, there is no "one size fits all" philosophy because situations and circumstances can vary. It was an interesting write, nonetheless and I enjoyed the read. I look forward to reading more of your work.

[Brad Dehler]

Absolutely. You got it, the strength isnt alway pressing forward. The very premise along with the encouragement that it doesnt make one the loser, incapable of success. It just might be somewhere else. So the discussion continues. This is a particular quit that needed more from the one.