Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Poets United Midweek Motif ~ Courage

source: Morguefile


Midweek Motif ~ Courage

"Who could refrain that had a heart to love and in that heart courage to make love Known?"---William Shakespeare

"It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare."---Mark Twain

"Courage without conscience is a wild beast"---Robert Green Ingersoll

"Courage is grace under pressure."---Ernest Hemmingway


We are all capable of controlling fear while facing danger, pain or even opposition with courage. Every one of us responds to adversity in some part of our life. That's what makes us a conscious being. We could not have survived without this virtue that gives us the strength to begin, continue and end this life journey.

Many find courage in the smallest thing of daily life and many feel that courage is a measure of our self-esteem and will.

And definitely it takes courage to be 'yourself'!

Now let's see how Anne Sexton marches her readers through the stages of life with courage:

Courage

by Anne Sexton

It is in the small things we see it.
The child's first step
as awesome as an earthquake.
The first time you rode a bike,
wallowing up the sidewalk.
The first spanking when your heart
went on a journey all alone.
When they called you crybaby
or poor or fatty or crazy
and made you into an alien,
you drank their acid
and concealed it.

Later,
if you faced the death of bombs and bullets
you did not do it with a banner,
you did it only with a hat to
cover your heart.
You did not fondle the weakness inside you
though it was there.
Your courage was a small coal
that you kept swallowing.
If your buddy saved you
and died himself in so doing,
then his courage was not courage,
it was love; love as simple as shaving soap.
                                           (The rest is here)



More 'courage' poems for today's inspiration:

The Survivor

by Primo Levi

I am twenty-four
led to slaughter
I survived.

The following are empty synonyms:
man and beast
love and hate
friend and foe
darkness and light.

The way of killing men and beasts is the same
I've seen it:
truckfuls of chopped up men
who will not be saved.

Ideas are mere words:
virtue and crime
truth and lies
beauty and ugliness
courage and cowardice.

Virtue and crime weigh the same
I've seen it:
in a man who has both
criminal and virtuous.

I seek a teacher and a master
may he restore my sight hearing and speech
may he again name objects and ideas
may he separate darkness from light.

I am twenty-four
led to slaughter
I survived.


Symptoms of Love

by Robert Graves

Love is universal migraine,
A bright stain on the vision
Blotting out reason.

Symptoms of true love
Are leanness, jealousy,
Laggard dawns;

Are omens and nightmares-
Listening for a knock,
Waiting for a sign:

For a touch of her fingers
In a darkened room,
For a searching look.

Take courage, lover!
Could you endure such pain
At any hand but hers?

Write a poem on the theme "Courage"

Please share your new poem using Mr. Linky belowand visit others in the spirit of the community.

             (Next week Sumana's Midweek Motif will be ~ Identity)

20 comments:

  1. Thank you for allowing us to use the courage of words - almost certainly a part of ourselves :)

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  2. Hey everyone,

    Woooo hooooo :D its time for Midweek Motif! Gosh how time flies :D sharing my poem "Courage" hope you all like it. Thank you Sumana for hosting and for the amazing prompt :D


    Lots of love,
    Sanaa

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  3. A happy Wednesday to all, i started at the Gym yesterday after many many years of not doing any formal exercises. Taking things slowly

    much love...

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  4. Thanks for the prompt, looking forward to reading the poems of this week!

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  5. Mine is more about a lack of courage! A true story, but I doubt I'd have written it without this prompt.

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  6. Good Wednesday morning (here), everyone! I hope we all summon up a bit of courage to share our words this week!

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  7. Hello everyone. Please pardon me, for my lack of reviews of those kind people, who did so, for me, last week. Am, in the midst of a health crisis, which will be resolved on February 5th. Will return the love, asap, I promise.

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  8. Hi kids. I am off to another medical appointment this morning, I hope to write and post when I get back.

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  9. Dear Sumana, thank you! I could not resist this amazing prompt. And, you know, a child born last night (see previous poem) in my family made me think of my own . . .

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  10. Sumana,
    The subject of this poetry prompt has actually motivated me and encouraged me to return from a long hibernation. I have been writing short form poems, but this is about my first full poem since October. Thank you for being there and sending me courage!:)
    Eileen

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  11. Great prompt Sumana. I struggled with various poems before settling on this simple one. But the struggle is worth it because in the process I am forced to examine what I really think, believe and want to say.

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  12. Great prompt Sumana. I struggled with various poems before settling on this simple one. But the struggle is worth it because in the process I am forced to examine what I really think, believe and want to say.

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  13. Hi Everyone, I am glad to be here for a change. I am sorry I have been so vacant from here and your blogs. I have been working on publishing a book and busy with work....excuses excuses. :-)Just happy to be blogging again!

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  14. This is wonderful. A great prompt. I know we have all seen examples of courage. Several years when diagnosed with cancer, I saw so much courage around me, even though some of the people/children knew they were going to die. It inspired me and these people have remained an example. People who do the right thing when there is pressure to bend - we've all seen these things and been affected. Just a super prompt. I hope to be back later and read and comment and post one of my own. Blessings to you all.

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  15. Thank you, for the inspiration, Sumana...an excellent post!

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  16. Hello all! sorry for the delay. this was harder than I had thought. I will return in the morn to comment on everyone's contributions. Have a good evening all!

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  17. Wishing all of you a great week. Im not going to be online this week so I will miss all your great poems.

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  18. Thanks friends for the wonderful responses...

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  19. Thank you, Sumana. I hope I'm not too late. I like writing about courage and this time, I chose a Cinquain. Looking forward to reading as many others as possible.

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  20. A great prompt at the right time..Thanks

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