8 Wishing Poems

Wishing for something can be the beginning of a dream, but a wish alone will not make it happen. These wishing poems encourage us to take action, set goals, and begin doing the things that can move us closer to what we hope for.

It is easy to say, "I wish," and wait for circumstances to change. But often the first step toward change begins with us. We may not know exactly how everything will work out, but we can start where we are, use what we have, and take one step at a time.

As Israelmore Ayivor wrote in 101 Keys To Everyday Passion, "There are three categories of people exist in the world; 'the wanters', 'the wishers' and 'the makers'." Which are you? May these poems encourage you to turn your wishes into goals and your goals into action.

Updated September 15, 2026, by Catherine Pulsifer.

Stop Wishing

If you want something go out and get it,
Stop sitting and wishing you had.
It's time to make dreams a reality,
And stop waiting for things to go bad.

We have everything we need,
To make our dreams come true.
We have endurance and determination all within ourselves,
It's time to put them to good use.

So what will your first order of business be?
Will you plan your journey all out?
The first thing you probably should do,
Is figure out who could give you some help.

As we are very capable of achieving our goals,
A little help is never a bad thing.
Sometimes a little help is just what we need,
To get us into full swing.

How many times have you or your friends said the words, "I wish"? Rather than wishing, start doing. Set a goal, take action, and take that first step. Julie reminds us that we do not have to know every step before we begin, and we should never be afraid to accept the help of others along the way.

As It Is

Poet: Edgar A. Guest

I might wish the world were better,
I might sit around and sigh
For a water that is wetter
And a bluer sort of sky.
There are times I think the weather
Could be much improved upon,
But when taken altogether
It's a good old world we're on.
I might tell how I would make it,
But when I have had my say
It is still my job to take it
As it is, from day to day.

I might wish that men were kinder,
And less eager after gold;
I might wish that they were blinder
To the faults they now behold.
And I'd try to make them gentle,
And more tolerant in strife
And a bit more sentimental
O'er the finer things of life.
But I am not here to make them,
Or to work in human clay;
It is just my work to take them
As they are from day to day.

Here's a world that suffers sorrow,
Here are bitterness and pain,
And the joy we plan tomorrow
May be ruined by the rain.
Here are hate and greed and badness,
Here are love and friendship, too,
But the most of it is gladness
When at last we've run it through.
Could we only understand it
As we shall some distant day
We should see that He who planned it
Knew our needs along the way.

Get It Done

Poet: Unknown

It isn't the job we intend to do,
or the labor we've just begun.
That puts us right on the balance sheet;
it's the work we have really done.

Our credit is built upon things we shirk;
The man who totals the biggest plus,
is the man who completes his work.

Good intentions do not pay bills;
it's easy enough to plan
To wish is the play of an office boy,
to do the job of a man.

Wish Thee

Poet: Ida Scott Taylor

I would not ask for thee a fadeless summer —
When all is bright;
Nor that eternal day surround thee,
Without a night;
For if our summer lasted all the year,
No vernal Spring in beauty would appear.

I would not ask for thee a life of pleasure —
Without a care;
Nor that thy path be strewn with roses,
Through meadows fair;
For if our days were only happy days,
And if our ways were only pleasant ways,
Our lives in dull monotony would run —
Without the peace that comes when toil is done.

But I would wish for thee a Heavenly measure
Of shade and shine;
Enough to make thee grasp the closer
The Hand divine,
Enough to bend thee to His sovereign will —
Whate'er His mandate, be it good or ill.

Wishing and Hoping

Poet: John Kendrick Bangs

We can't get our every wish
By the act of wishing,
But even though there are no fish
There's some fun in fishing.

So when things are far from bright,
And I'm merely groping
Through the darkness of the night.
There is joy in hoping.

Wishing And Dreaming

Poet: Catherine Pulsifer

A wish is like a dream
you would like to see come true
But like everything in life
it is all up to you.

Like everything in life,
our actions will see
What we become,
what we will be.

To have dreams is
a great thing
But turning them into a goal
results they will bring.

So wish and dream
but action take
And you will find a dream life
you will make.

Three Wishes

Poet: John Kendrick Bangs

If some good fairy came to me
And said she'd grant me wishes three,
I'd make the first "a heart a-thrill
With pity for my neighbour's ill";

The second, "strength to do my part
To bring peace to his troubled heart";
And third that "I should have the mind
To be of service to my kind."

I would not ask for love or gold,
Or laurels woven for the bold,
For in that sort of human pelf
I'd rather win them for myself.

Oh, I Wish

Poet: Rossiter Johnson

Oh, for a lodge in a garden of cucumbers!
Oh, for an iceberg or two at control!
Oh, for a vale that at mid-day the dew cumbers,
Oh, for a pleasure trip to the north pole.

Oh, that this cold world were twenty times colder!
(That's irony red-hot, it seemeth to me,)
Oh, for a turn of its dreaded cold shoulder!
Oh, what a comfort an ague would be!

Oh, for a grotto, frost-lined and rill-riven.
Scooped in the rock under cataracts vast!
Oh, for a winter of discontent, even!
Oh, for wet blankets judiciously cast!

Oh for a soda-fount spouting up boldly
From every hot lamp-post against the hot sky!
Oh for proud maiden to look on me coldly,
Freezing my soul with a glance of her eye!

Then oh for a draught from a cup of "cold pizen!"
And oh for a resting-place in the cold grave!
With a bath in the Styx, where the thick shadow lies on
And deepens the chill of its dark-running wave!

Key Messages from These Poems

Wishing is only the beginning
A wish may show us what we want, but action is what moves us forward. These poems remind us that dreams become more meaningful when we are willing to take the first step.
Work with the life you have today
We may wish that circumstances were different, but there is still much we can do with what we have. Accepting today does not mean giving up. It means choosing to make the best of where we are while continuing to move forward.
Some wishes are about helping others
Not every wish needs to be for ourselves. A caring heart, a willingness to help, and a desire to bring hope to another person can make our lives richer and more meaningful.

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Conclusion

We can spend a great deal of time wishing life were different or hoping that someday our dreams will come true. But these poems remind us that wishing is only the beginning. What we do with those wishes is what can make a difference.

Take the first step, even if it is a small one. Accept help when you need it, offer help when you can, and keep working toward what matters to you. A wish may begin in the heart, but action is what gives it the chance to become something more.

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