Longfellow and the iFellow seem to be odd bedfellows with very little connection. What do great poets and great leaders have in common? Quite a lot. For example:
Anthony VlahosPosted by Simone Abraides
04/20 @ 06:08 PM
04/20 @ 06:08 PM
My dearest Anthony,
Another brilliantly conceived and beautifully crafted piece. These are IDEAS TO LEAD BY that you gift to us. Your voice is pure wisdom, period. You shine, I am A FAN.
Give us More.
SDA
Another brilliantly conceived and beautifully crafted piece. These are IDEAS TO LEAD BY that you gift to us. Your voice is pure wisdom, period. You shine, I am A FAN.
Give us More.
SDA
Posted by David Lanska
04/14 @ 04:01 PM
04/14 @ 04:01 PM
When my daughter Melissa was about 11 years old, she had a class assignment to write a poem about a horse. Think for a moment what you might expect to read from an 11 year old writing about a horse. What would you write if you had that assignment to do today? As much as I have written through the years, I would have trouble coming up with a poem about a horse. Now read what Melissa wrote.
Muscular steed at the battle lines
Between his church and his home,
Shines in the light
With a gleam in his eyes,
Daring his dark foes to come.
Leaping forth
Into death’s bloody way
Protecting his country and king
Trampling evil
Through each blackened day
And honored for saving his queen.
Bucking and rearing
Through each row of men
Screaming his battle cry
Perilously, leaving enemies dead
Tossing his head to the sky!
So lethal his hate
In this merciless fight,
He gains a checkmate -
The gallant chess knight.
As a marketing professional in the package printing industry, I find her use of imagery incredible and inspiring.
The audience is drawn in to this horrific battle scene as it is unfolding. There is noise, confusion, the injured screaming in pain. Through it all, you can imagine this powerful animal with nostrils flaring and muscles rippling. You can hear his labored breaths as the ground shakes from his thunderous hoofs.
And this all leads to the moment she reveals that she is talking about a board game...
For printers and consumer goods companies that want to make their products stand out in advertising, as well as on the store shelf, there are many weapons they can engage: color, texture, embossing, dimensional varnishes, material selection, words, graphics, brands, logos, promotions, unique graphics enhancements such as 3D and lenticular printing, as well as hot and cold foil.
While these elements can help differentiate and draw attention to a product or message, it becomes more and more difficult to stand out as competing products employ the same tools.
Standing out from the crowd requires something more... powerful imagery that engages the audience. That is why I featured her poem in my book, Common Sense Flexography.
Muscular steed at the battle lines
Between his church and his home,
Shines in the light
With a gleam in his eyes,
Daring his dark foes to come.
Leaping forth
Into death’s bloody way
Protecting his country and king
Trampling evil
Through each blackened day
And honored for saving his queen.
Bucking and rearing
Through each row of men
Screaming his battle cry
Perilously, leaving enemies dead
Tossing his head to the sky!
So lethal his hate
In this merciless fight,
He gains a checkmate -
The gallant chess knight.
As a marketing professional in the package printing industry, I find her use of imagery incredible and inspiring.
The audience is drawn in to this horrific battle scene as it is unfolding. There is noise, confusion, the injured screaming in pain. Through it all, you can imagine this powerful animal with nostrils flaring and muscles rippling. You can hear his labored breaths as the ground shakes from his thunderous hoofs.
And this all leads to the moment she reveals that she is talking about a board game...
For printers and consumer goods companies that want to make their products stand out in advertising, as well as on the store shelf, there are many weapons they can engage: color, texture, embossing, dimensional varnishes, material selection, words, graphics, brands, logos, promotions, unique graphics enhancements such as 3D and lenticular printing, as well as hot and cold foil.
While these elements can help differentiate and draw attention to a product or message, it becomes more and more difficult to stand out as competing products employ the same tools.
Standing out from the crowd requires something more... powerful imagery that engages the audience. That is why I featured her poem in my book, Common Sense Flexography.
Posted by Liz Jones
04/13 @ 06:01 PM
04/13 @ 06:01 PM
Self-reliance
Self-reliance is a blessing.
No matter who is next to us
We all wake up alone
and we all go to sleep alone
We start our days alone
when we get up and get into the vehicle
of our thoughts
and if we live, truly live
We pull into the driveway of our dreams
and walk into the house of our purpose
and sit down.
Take a deep breath
and look around.
We are the architects of our future
and the builders of a collective vision.
If we build it right,
the foundation will hold
the building will stand the test of time
stand through the harsh winters and hurricanes
through the sharp splinters and growing pains
and see us through the lean famines and torrential
rain
So stand up young woman
stand up young man
Protect your first house like it is your child
for that's what you came here with
that's what your name here is
that's the legacy you'll leave
and that's what you'll leave here with.
Self-reliance is a blessing
and God is understanding
if you let him in you to work through you
he will brace your landing
so keep on standing up
For you're alone
but he is truth
Self-reliance is a blessing
so God bless you.
By Liz Jones
(562) 326-1004
Self-reliance is a blessing.
No matter who is next to us
We all wake up alone
and we all go to sleep alone
We start our days alone
when we get up and get into the vehicle
of our thoughts
and if we live, truly live
We pull into the driveway of our dreams
and walk into the house of our purpose
and sit down.
Take a deep breath
and look around.
We are the architects of our future
and the builders of a collective vision.
If we build it right,
the foundation will hold
the building will stand the test of time
stand through the harsh winters and hurricanes
through the sharp splinters and growing pains
and see us through the lean famines and torrential
rain
So stand up young woman
stand up young man
Protect your first house like it is your child
for that's what you came here with
that's what your name here is
that's the legacy you'll leave
and that's what you'll leave here with.
Self-reliance is a blessing
and God is understanding
if you let him in you to work through you
he will brace your landing
so keep on standing up
For you're alone
but he is truth
Self-reliance is a blessing
so God bless you.
By Liz Jones
(562) 326-1004
Posted by Mark Corwin
04/12 @ 09:08 PM
04/12 @ 09:08 PM
Here is my favorite poem. Its the motto that shapes my life and work.
Luck Favors the Prepared Man
He worked by day
and toiled by night
He gave up play
and some delight
Dry books he read
new things to learn
and forged ahead
success to earn
He plodded on
with faith and pluck
and when he won
they called it luck
Luck Favors the Prepared Man
He worked by day
and toiled by night
He gave up play
and some delight
Dry books he read
new things to learn
and forged ahead
success to earn
He plodded on
with faith and pluck
and when he won
they called it luck
Posted by Stephen Miller
04/12 @ 09:00 PM
04/12 @ 09:00 PM
Not a single poem, but I have always found certain passages of Shakespeare to be inspirational and insightful.
Posted by Barry Knott
04/12 @ 08:59 PM
04/12 @ 08:59 PM
"Success is counted Sweetest
By those who ne'er succeed"
Emily Dickenson
By those who ne'er succeed"
Emily Dickenson
Posted by Beth Earley
04/12 @ 04:51 PM
04/12 @ 04:51 PM
this is not exactly a poem but it's short and sweet and I think meets the spirit suggested...
The not quite verbatim quote goes largely like this,
It has been proved by general aerotechnical means that the bumblebee cannot fly
The size and shape of his wings makes flying absolutely impossible
BUT the bumblebee does not know this so he goes ahead and flies anyway.
The not quite verbatim quote goes largely like this,
It has been proved by general aerotechnical means that the bumblebee cannot fly
The size and shape of his wings makes flying absolutely impossible
BUT the bumblebee does not know this so he goes ahead and flies anyway.
Posted by Anthony Vlahos
04/12 @ 03:51 PM
04/12 @ 03:51 PM
Hi everyone,
It’s great to see you all here. I wrote this post for great poets like you. Thanks for caring and thanks for sharing.
Enjoy the conversation,
Tony
Anthony Vlahos
Chief Marketing Officer
ExecuNet
It’s great to see you all here. I wrote this post for great poets like you. Thanks for caring and thanks for sharing.
Enjoy the conversation,
Tony
Anthony Vlahos
Chief Marketing Officer
ExecuNet
Posted by Franco Righi
04/12 @ 03:08 PM
04/12 @ 03:08 PM
we are going nowhere. uncertainty reigns. cahos prevails. the strongest temptation is to give it all up and live what's left to live with pace of mind and soul. possibly together with nature until the end. will I be able to resist this temptation and keep struggling?
Posted by Bret Raymis
04/12 @ 01:18 PM
04/12 @ 01:18 PM
This is not a poem but a speech from Teddy. It has always inspired me to lead beyond my norm.
The Man in the Arena
is the title of a speech given by Teddy Roosevelt at the Sorbonne in Paris, France on April 23, 1910. It was subsequently re-printed in his book Citizenship in a Republic.
The speech is notable for the extended passage:
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
The Man in the Arena
is the title of a speech given by Teddy Roosevelt at the Sorbonne in Paris, France on April 23, 1910. It was subsequently re-printed in his book Citizenship in a Republic.
The speech is notable for the extended passage:
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
Posted by Larry Vertal
04/12 @ 01:09 PM
04/12 @ 01:09 PM
So, the philosopher George Santayana was also a poet & therefor I will slip this in although it comes from his tour de force on epistimology rather than his poetry: "I must stand in my philosophy as I do in everyday life. I would not be honest otherwise."
Posted by Mike Wheeler-Wyatt
04/12 @ 12:28 PM
04/12 @ 12:28 PM
Hi
One evening I had such a powerful experience after meeting a ninety year old lady who cried in front of me as she spoke about how we are ruining our lovely planet due to our love and desire for short term pleasures - I showed her my new Smart Phone. It inspired me to write the following poem which I then spent a year trying to get permission from my daughters Brownie Group to film - have a look - I got loads of pleasure from making my feelings real - that is what success really is..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGBJhEIvmAU
MOTHER EARTH
Another Species of bird went extinct today
Cries from a polar bear as she watches her home melt away
The bleaching corals of far away shores
That’s a strange tasting soup – can I have some more?
You used to be so fresh and so clear
Now the smell of decay is in the air
As we pollute the space that we rent from you
We all live for today – we don’t really care
Another acre of dense forest got wiped today
Cries from a little girl as her family are swept away
199 a month – gets the little darlings to school
Tears of sand as Mother Earth tries her best to stay cool
Our world use to be so fresh and clear
Before all the tall chimneys clogged the air
We rent the space that we have here
We all live for today like we don’t have a care
We don’t mean to make you cry with the things that we do
Try rebuilding after a quake without any tools
It’s all about progress as we smother you
The scorching heat from our cities is killing you
You used to be so fresh and so clear
Now the smell of decay is in the air
As we pollute the space that we rent from you
We all live for today – we don’t really care
Closer to heaven with each tree that we kill
Closer to hell with each tank that we fill
One life one world is all that we have
All the leaders listen up before Mother Earth dies
One evening I had such a powerful experience after meeting a ninety year old lady who cried in front of me as she spoke about how we are ruining our lovely planet due to our love and desire for short term pleasures - I showed her my new Smart Phone. It inspired me to write the following poem which I then spent a year trying to get permission from my daughters Brownie Group to film - have a look - I got loads of pleasure from making my feelings real - that is what success really is..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGBJhEIvmAU
MOTHER EARTH
Another Species of bird went extinct today
Cries from a polar bear as she watches her home melt away
The bleaching corals of far away shores
That’s a strange tasting soup – can I have some more?
You used to be so fresh and so clear
Now the smell of decay is in the air
As we pollute the space that we rent from you
We all live for today – we don’t really care
Another acre of dense forest got wiped today
Cries from a little girl as her family are swept away
199 a month – gets the little darlings to school
Tears of sand as Mother Earth tries her best to stay cool
Our world use to be so fresh and clear
Before all the tall chimneys clogged the air
We rent the space that we have here
We all live for today like we don’t have a care
We don’t mean to make you cry with the things that we do
Try rebuilding after a quake without any tools
It’s all about progress as we smother you
The scorching heat from our cities is killing you
You used to be so fresh and so clear
Now the smell of decay is in the air
As we pollute the space that we rent from you
We all live for today – we don’t really care
Closer to heaven with each tree that we kill
Closer to hell with each tank that we fill
One life one world is all that we have
All the leaders listen up before Mother Earth dies
Posted by Kevin
04/12 @ 11:48 AM
04/12 @ 11:48 AM
I was fortunate to have a mother who shared many of Mr. Vlahos views on the correlation between leadership and poets. She was the head of an English department at a high school in GA. Once a year she invited students to spend the night at our family home to write poetry. The only rules were you couldn’t leave the house and you had to work on your poetry skills. The long lasting effects are profound. She became teacher of the year and more than a few students told her she influenced their views about education and career choices.
My points are simple. Leadership is always about achieving stated goals and objectives. It is also about demonstrating that you deeply care about employees and their families. Only then can good, creative ideas effervesce to the top and true behavioral capacity be realized within the workplace.
Most companies’ operational improvements fail to produce sustainable results. The key to success is 80% tactical and 20% technical yet the traditional management approach tends to be focused on technical vs. tactical factors. Not having the right approach and resources to impact front line management skills and modify employee behaviors limits long term success
My points are simple. Leadership is always about achieving stated goals and objectives. It is also about demonstrating that you deeply care about employees and their families. Only then can good, creative ideas effervesce to the top and true behavioral capacity be realized within the workplace.
Most companies’ operational improvements fail to produce sustainable results. The key to success is 80% tactical and 20% technical yet the traditional management approach tends to be focused on technical vs. tactical factors. Not having the right approach and resources to impact front line management skills and modify employee behaviors limits long term success
Posted by jim krieger
04/12 @ 11:44 AM
04/12 @ 11:44 AM
This poem has been on my desk for over 10 years. The pearls of wisdom have brought me and other team members to the next level.
Jim ....
_________________________________________________
SUCCESS
(by Barbara Smallwood & Steve Kilborn, 1981, Art 101 Limited)
Whatever your mind can conceive and believe, it will achieve. Dream great dreams and make them come true. Do it now. You are unique. In all the history of the world there was never anyone else exactly like you, and in all the infinity to come there will never be another you. Never affirm self-limitations. What you believe yourself to be you are. To accomplish great things, you must not only act, but also dream, not only plan, but also believe. If you have build castles in the air, your work need not be lost; put foundations under them. Yes you can. Believing in magic. You can always better your best. You don’t know what you can do until you try. Nothing will come of nothing. If you don’t go out on a limb, you’re never going to get the fruit. There is no failure except in no longer trying. Hazy goals produce hazy results. Clearly define your goals. Write them down, make a plan for achieving them, set a deadline, visualize the results and go after them. Just don’t look back unless you want to go that way. Defeat may test you; it need not stop you. If at first you don’t succeed, try another way. For every obstacle there is a solution. Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. The greatest mistake is giving up. Wishing will not bring success, but planning, persistence, and a burning desire will. There is a gold mine within you from which you can extract all the necessary ingredients. Success is an attitude. Get your right. It is astonishing how short a time it takes for very wonderful things to happen. Now; show us the colors of your rainbow.
Jim ....
_________________________________________________
SUCCESS
(by Barbara Smallwood & Steve Kilborn, 1981, Art 101 Limited)
Whatever your mind can conceive and believe, it will achieve. Dream great dreams and make them come true. Do it now. You are unique. In all the history of the world there was never anyone else exactly like you, and in all the infinity to come there will never be another you. Never affirm self-limitations. What you believe yourself to be you are. To accomplish great things, you must not only act, but also dream, not only plan, but also believe. If you have build castles in the air, your work need not be lost; put foundations under them. Yes you can. Believing in magic. You can always better your best. You don’t know what you can do until you try. Nothing will come of nothing. If you don’t go out on a limb, you’re never going to get the fruit. There is no failure except in no longer trying. Hazy goals produce hazy results. Clearly define your goals. Write them down, make a plan for achieving them, set a deadline, visualize the results and go after them. Just don’t look back unless you want to go that way. Defeat may test you; it need not stop you. If at first you don’t succeed, try another way. For every obstacle there is a solution. Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. The greatest mistake is giving up. Wishing will not bring success, but planning, persistence, and a burning desire will. There is a gold mine within you from which you can extract all the necessary ingredients. Success is an attitude. Get your right. It is astonishing how short a time it takes for very wonderful things to happen. Now; show us the colors of your rainbow.
Posted by Beth Hjurst
04/12 @ 11:38 AM
04/12 @ 11:38 AM
Survival Skills by Kay Ryan
Here is the virtue
in not looking up:
you will be the one
who finds the overhang
out of the sun
and something for a cup.
You will rethink meat;
you will know you have
to eat and will eat.
Despair and hope you keep
remote. You will not
think much about the boat
that sank or other boats.
When you can, you sleep.
You can go on nearly forever.
If you ever are delivered
you are not delivered.
You know now, you were
always a survivor.
Here is the virtue
in not looking up:
you will be the one
who finds the overhang
out of the sun
and something for a cup.
You will rethink meat;
you will know you have
to eat and will eat.
Despair and hope you keep
remote. You will not
think much about the boat
that sank or other boats.
When you can, you sleep.
You can go on nearly forever.
If you ever are delivered
you are not delivered.
You know now, you were
always a survivor.
Posted by Frederick Andresen
04/12 @ 11:21 AM
04/12 @ 11:21 AM
The poem that has meant the most to me is
"The Road Less Traveled" by robert Frost"
the last verse of which reads:
"I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence
Two roads diverged in a wood
And I took the one less traveled by
And that has made all the difference."
"The Road Less Traveled" by robert Frost"
the last verse of which reads:
"I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence
Two roads diverged in a wood
And I took the one less traveled by
And that has made all the difference."
Posted by Lynnette Zika
04/12 @ 10:35 AM
04/12 @ 10:35 AM
The quote that guides my career and my life:
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference."
Reinhold Niebuhr
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference."
Reinhold Niebuhr
Posted by Denyse Le Fever
04/12 @ 10:10 AM
04/12 @ 10:10 AM
Thank you for sharing this insight. I hadn't considered the similarities prior to reading this post.
Posted by Paula Green
04/12 @ 09:43 AM
04/12 @ 09:43 AM
Dr. Presser - sorry to have repeated your favorite verse! I suppose it just shows how inspiring Mr. Henley's words remain, all these years later.
Posted by Paula Green
04/12 @ 09:40 AM
04/12 @ 09:40 AM
My favorite quote is taken from a poem written by William Henley. On more than one occassion, this particular verse (shared herein) has provided me with the courage to find the high road and to conduct myself with integrity even when those around me have chosen otherwise.
I hope this particular verse will provide the same encouragement for many of your readers:
Invictus (closing verse) -- William Henley
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.
I hope this particular verse will provide the same encouragement for many of your readers:
Invictus (closing verse) -- William Henley
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.
Posted by David Bristow
04/12 @ 09:33 AM
04/12 @ 09:33 AM
If
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!
Posted by Konstantin Strangas
04/12 @ 09:33 AM
04/12 @ 09:33 AM
The poem "Ithaka" by C. Cavafy has been a constant inspiration in my professional life. Particularly verses 3-5:
"Keep Ithaka always in your mind.
Arriving there is what you are destined for.
But do not hurry the journey at all.
Better if it lasts for years,
so you are old by the time you reach the island,
wealthy with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting Ithaka to make you rich.
Ithaka gave you the marvelous journey.
Without her you would not have set out.
She has nothing left to give you now.
And if you find her poor, Ithaka won’t have fooled you.
Wise as you will have become, so full of experience,
you will have understood by then what these Ithakas mean."
"Keep Ithaka always in your mind.
Arriving there is what you are destined for.
But do not hurry the journey at all.
Better if it lasts for years,
so you are old by the time you reach the island,
wealthy with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting Ithaka to make you rich.
Ithaka gave you the marvelous journey.
Without her you would not have set out.
She has nothing left to give you now.
And if you find her poor, Ithaka won’t have fooled you.
Wise as you will have become, so full of experience,
you will have understood by then what these Ithakas mean."
Posted by Tim Farrell
04/12 @ 09:17 AM
04/12 @ 09:17 AM
Tony, thanks for your great side-by-side positive comparison of great poets to great leaders. As a U.S. Air Force colonel currently deployed to Iraq with many of our nation's great young men and women, I see lessons in these examples that both reflect what I've already put into practice, and also remind me of how I can lead better. Thanks for giving us a great introspective and practical leadership tool. - Tim
Posted by Dr. Janice Presser
04/12 @ 09:12 AM
04/12 @ 09:12 AM
Invictus, by William Ernest Henley - especially the last two lines - has resonated with me since grade school and, in this time of shaky global political economy, still does:
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
Posted by David Cates
04/12 @ 09:02 AM
04/12 @ 09:02 AM
The world needs more vulnerable leaders and poetry is a portal to help show us the way.
Lessons learned from and about six-figure leadership and executive career management
