Perseverance

It needs no definition
for it exceeds mere words
It needs no deliberation
for It's the wise man's instinct

It is:
the sportsman's sweat that peppers his eyes;
the policeman's bullet-wounds which ache his bones;
the firefighter's scars that itch inside;
the writer's weak worn-out fingers;
the dancer's broken toes;
the hungry man's blinding smile.

If you insist,
It is
the temporary strife
to attain an exemplary life.

Reviews

[Thaddius]

This is one of those 'concept' poems, and I'll be candid - I don't really like the concept of them. It's tacky, and puts an umbrella under all of your work, sets an ending or an epiphany when you should be the rain drops and let the puddles broadcast whatever murky face they do. However, I do see strength in this.

The imagery is strong. It's so linear and ordered, though, that by the 'sportsman', my eye jumps and sees the p, f, the w and the d all lined up, and know what's coming. 'the scars that itch inside' is intriguing... maybe a quasi-exploration into a fire-fighters death-wish, self-loathing and longing to escape the life he chooses for himself. So their perseverance would be a dark, twisted thing instead of aspirational. It's under developed though. This 'concept' poem would rise above the cliche if you twisted perseverance of its heels and shattered expectations. The 'hungry-man's blinding smile' is a compelling image as well, it conjures up these beggars who stumble past with jacko-lantern grins on first world streets, that prompt us to crank up our radio and tell ourselves 'who needs a rose?'.

You can make this into something, but I'll give you a really good piece of advice: don't put labels on your poems before they start their lives.

[Master K-tops]

Thank yOu for your constructive review. The poem was originally intended to be short,simple, understated and weirdly enough,underdeveloped. But now that I see you've read deeper into this poem and given it more worth,I think I'll work more on it. Thanks and God bless you. But if I may ask,what exactly do you mean by 'labels'?

[David Moreland]

Very profound and well constructed.

[Master K-tops]

Thank you so much.

[A. Amos]

Vidya bought me here and I truly enjoyed your read.

[Master K-tops]

She's so nice,isn't she? I'm glad you liked it.

[A. Amos]

You welcome my friend

[Vidya Bacchus]

This is truth my friend .Youth filled with wisdom :)

[Master K-tops]

Thank you so much.

[Vidya Bacchus]

You are always welcome my friend :)

[Traci]

Perseverance is an important attribute, very nice K. I look forward to reading more of your work :)

[Oyindamola Shoola]

it reminds me of a book... an American slave by fedrick ...if patience would increase my gain, let me suffer a little longer....this is a good one, well penned...

[Sami Khalil]

Perseverance and patience are very important to achieve things in life...Bravo..................