Through the Struggle
Poet: Catherine PulsiferWhen life feels heavy, hard to bear,
And burdens meet you everywhere,
Just take a breath, then take a stand,
You hold more strength than you had planned.
The tears may fall, the nights feel long,
But deep within, your heart stays strong.
This storm will pass, the sun will shine,
Tell yourself, "brighter days will still be mine."
Life’s Ups and Downs
Poet: Catherine PulsiferLife is filled with highs and lows,
Some days bring joy, some sorrow flows.
At times we feel the weight so strong,
As if we simply don’t belong.
The road is rough, the path unclear,
We question why we’re even here.
But struggles come to help us grow,
To teach us things we need to know.
No one walks this life with ease,
We all must face the stormy seas.
Yet after rain, the sun will shine,
And brighter days will soon be mine.
So hold on tight, just take it slow,
Through every trial, strength will grow.
The hardest times will pass, you’ll see,
And lead you where you're meant to be.
Bumpy Road Called Life
Poet Julie Hebert, ©2015It seems to me the road called life,
Is a windy, bumpy road.
It's not easy like told in fairytales,
Life can't be changed by kissing a toad.
Instead we must weigh the odds,
About every decision we make.
We worry we'll make the wrong choice,
And not know which way to take.
Although life's road may have many crossroads,
We just have to trust in God and instinct.
Life may be a constant question mark,
But if you listen you may hear yourself.
You are the one who knows You,
And the God given gifts that inspire you.
No matter the fear or the conflict,
If you listen, life will fit like a shoe.
Positive Poems
Hard Luck
Poet: Edgar A. GuestAin't no use as I can see
In sittin' underneath a tree
An' growlin' that your luck is bad,
An' that your life is extry sad;
Your life ain't sadder than your neighbor's
Nor any harder are your labors;
It rains on him the same as you,
An' he has work he hates to do;
An' he gits tired an' he gits cross,
An' he has trouble with the boss;
You take his whole life, through an' through,
Why, he's no better off than you.
If whinin' brushed the clouds away
I wouldn't have a word to say;
If it made good friends out o' foes
I'd whine a bit, too, I suppose;
But when I look around an' see
A lot o' men resemblin' me,
An' see 'em sad, an' see 'em gay
With work to do most every day,
Some full o' fun, some bent with care,
Some havin' troubles hard to bear,
I reckon, as I count my woes,
They're 'bout what everybody knows.
The day I find a man who'll say
He's never known a rainy day,
Who'll raise his right hand up an' swear
In forty years he's had no care,
Has never had a single blow,
An' never known one touch o' woe,
Has never seen a loved one die,
Has never wept or heaved a sigh,
Has never had a plan go wrong,
But alas laughed his way along;
Then I'll sit down an'start to whine
That all the hard luck here is mine.
Sunshine And Shadow
Poet: Ella Wheeler WilcoxLife has its shadows, as well as its sun;
Its lights and its shades, all twined together.
I tried to single them out, one by one,
Single and count them, determining whether
There was less blue than there was grey,
And more of the deep night than of the day.
But dear me, dear me, my task's but begun,
And I am not half way into the sun.
For the longer I look on the bright side of earth,
The more of the beautiful do I discover
And really, I never knew what life was worth
Till I searched the wide storehouse of happiness over.
It is filled from the cellar well up to the skies,
With things meant to gladden the heart and the eyes.
The doors are unlocked, you can enter each room,
That lies like a beautiful garden in bloom.
Yet life has its shadow, as well as its sun;
Earth has its storehouse of joy and of sorrow.
But the first is so wide - and my task's but begun -
That the last must be left for a far-distant morrow.
I will count up the blessings God gave in a row,
But dear me! when I get through them, I know
I shall have little time left for the rest,
For life is a swift-flowing river at best.
Poems Of Encouragement
Life Is Full Of Struggles
Poet Catherine Pulsifer, ©2020There are days that truly bring us down
We sit and mop and constantly frown
The issues we face right now are overwhelming
We feel like jumping up and running.
But running away doesn't take away the pain
Running away only makes us feel more drained
Find that glimmer of hope
Focus on that it will help you cope.
Rather than sitting and feeling sad
Take action don't get mad
Find a way to take one step
Towards the thing called happiness.
You see life is full of struggles and hurt
There are times we all feel like dirt.
But don't stay down, get up and find
A change of thought of the positive kind.
It may not be easy to get back on your feet
But moving forward, step by step can be sweet.
One foot in front of the other can be
Better than sitting and pouting you will see.
So even though the struggles you face
Don't give in and lose the pace.
Let your determination show
Even if your progress is slow.
The day will come when good times roll
One step at a time you will reach your goal
So when you see a challenge coming your way
Remember this too shall pass, you shall say!
Motivational Poems
The Rainy Day
Poet: Henry Wadsworth LongfellowThe day is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
The vine still clings to the mouldering wall,
But at every gust the dead leaves fall.
And the day is dark and dreary.
My life is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
My thoughts still cling to the mouldering Past,
But the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast.
And the days are dark and dreary.
Be still, sad heart! and cease repining;
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall.
Some days must be dark and dreary.
Busy The Hand To Still The Heart
Poet: Lillian E. CurtisWhen the world looks dark, and the heart beats swift,
O'ercome with many a piercing dart,
Then bid patience her magic wand up-lift,
And busy the hand to still the heart.
When the heart is bubbling over with sorrow,
And throbs of anguish thro' each nerve start.
Questioning Hope in vain for a bright to-morrow.
Then busy the hand to still the heart.
When on the edge of despair you sit,
From steadfast Faith apart.
When the lamp of Courage's no longer lit,
Busy the hand to still the heart.
When the roughest storms that life may know,
Cause trembling and fear to start,
When tempests of strife all hurriedly blow,
Busy the hand to still the heart.
A Psalm Of Life
Poet: Henry Wadsworth LongfellowTell me not, in mournful numbers.
Life is but an empty dream! —
For the soul is dead that slumbers.
And things are not what they seem.
Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul!
Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day.
Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave.
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.
In the world's broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!
Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act, — act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God overhead!
Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;
Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.
Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing.
Learn to labor and to wait.
The Silence
Poet: Edgar NyeWhen the burdens of life get too heavy
And what should be sweet seems as gall,
I go on a soul-cleansing journey
That shows me the need of it all.
Away from Life's troubled pathway,
Through the valley and up the hill,
To the peak of a lofty summit where
The pulse of the world stands still;
There I see God's love all about me
In the wonderful things He has made,
And peacefully return from the Silence
To take up my life unafraid.
Troubles Pass By
Poet: Francis J. AllisonA crowd of troubles passed him by
As he with courage waited;
He said, "Where do you troubles fly
When you are thus belated?"
"We go," they say, "to those who mope,
Who look on life dejected,
Who weakly say 'good-bye' to hope,
We go where we're expected."
Forward
Poet: Susan CoolidgeLet me stand still upon the height of life;
Much has been won, though much there is to win.
I am a little weary of the strife;
Let me stand still awhile, nor count it sin
To cool my hot brow, ease the travel pain.
And then address me to the road again.
Long was the way, and steep and hard the climb;
Sore are my limbs, and fain I am to rest.
Behind me he long sandy tracks of time;
Before me rises the steep mountain crest.
Let me stand still: the journey is half done.
And when less weary I will travel on.
There is no standing still! Even as I pause,
The steep path shifts and I slip back apace.
Movement was safety; by the journey-laws
No help is given, no safe abiding-place,
No idling in the pathway hard and slow;
I must go forward, or must backward go!
I will go up then, though the limbs may tire,
And though the path be doubtful and unseen;
Better with the last effort to expire
Than lose the toil and struggle that have been.
And have the morning strength, the upward strain.
The distance conquered, in the end made vain.
Ah, blessed law! for rest is tempting sweet,
And we would all lie down if so we might;
And few would struggle on with bleeding feet
And few would ever gain the higher height.
Except for the stern law which bids us know
We must go forward or must backward go.
Adversity Poems
Storms Never Last
Poet: J. B. SmileyWhen the sun of joy is hidden
And the sky is overcast,
Just remember light is coming
And a storm can never last.
Little Patch Of Blue
Poet: UnknownSometimes the rain keeps fallin'
And the road seems mighty rough,
And you just can't help a-thinkin'
That this life is pretty tough.
Just you smile and keep a-lookin'
What I'm telling you is true,
Somewhere peepin' thru the rain-clouds
There's a little patch o' blue.
'Taint no use to keep a-frettin'
Full of shadows, fear and doubt;
Each path that's leading into trouble
Has a path that's leading out!
If your face is bravely smilin'
Yes - I know it's hard to do,
But you'll surely find that somewhere
There's a little patch o' blue.
Someone has to keep a-smilin'
And a-singing, don't you see?
For if everyone looked gloomy,
What a place this world would be!
Sure! you've had a heap of trouble -
And I've had some trouble, too;
But you'll find if you keep smilin'
God's own little patch o' blue.
Destiny
Poet: R. N. LivingstonThere is no permanence in sorrow -
The weeping eyes so blinded now by tears
Will see all things with clearer view tomorrow
With strengthened vision meet the coming years!
There is no reason for despairing,
Hopes rides with each of us to show the way -
As pearls increase in brilliance with their wearing.
So may our troubles strengthen us today!
There is no bark beyond dispelling -
All shadows fade before the ways of light
The part that makes most stories worth the telling
Is of the overcoming of the night!
There is no grief that dares defiance
The brave know this and laugh its way to scorn -
Courage and cheer and faith and self-reliance
These are things to which a man is born.
Poems About Strength
Facing Life's Problems
by Lawrence HawthorneThere is little satisfaction to be gained from doing things
That hold no difficulties; it's the tough old task that brings
A keen sense of worth and power to the man who wins the fight.
His failures test his courage and his problems prove his might.
Until a man has conquered loss, and overcome defeat,
He cannot fully understand just why success is sweet.
I'm thankful for my disappointments, for the battles lost;
And for the mistakes that seem to charge an overwhelming cost.
I'm thankful for the days of doubt, when it was hard to see
That all things work together for the good that is to be.
I'm glad for all that life has brought, because today I know
That men must brave adversities, if they would greater grow.
Worst Enemy
Poet: Edgar A. GuestNobody hates me more than I;
No enemy have I to-day
That I so bravely must defy;
There are no foes along my way,
However bitter they may be,
So powerful to injure me
As I am, nor so quick to spoil
The beauty of my bit of toil.
Nobody harms me more than I;
No one is meaner unto me;
Of all the foes that pass me by
I am the worst one that I see.
I am the dangerous man to fear;
I am the cause of sorrow here;
Of all men 'gainst my hopes inclined
I am myself the most unkind.
I do more harmful things to me
Than all the men who seem to hate;
I am the fellow that should be
More dreaded than the works of fate.
I am the one that I must fight
With all my will and all my might;
My foes are better friends to me
Than I have ever proved to be.
I am the careless foe and mean;
I am the selfish rival too;
My enmity to me is seen
In almost everything I do.
More courage it requires to beat
Myself, than all the foes I meet;
I am more traitorous to me
Than other men could ever be.
In every struggle I have lost
I am the one that was to blame;
My weaknesses cannot be glossed
By glib excuses. I was lame.
I that would dare for fame or pelf
Am far less daring with myself.
I care not who my foes may be,
I am my own worst enemy.
Poems About Resilience
How Did You Take It
Poet: Edmund Vance CookeDid you tackle that trouble that came your way
With a resolute heart and cheerful.
Or hide your face from the light of day
With a craven soul and fearful?
O, a trouble is a ton, or a trouble is an ounce.
Or a trouble is what you make it,
And it isn't the fact that you're hurt that counts.
But only - how did you take it?
Many A Trouble
Poet: Philip BrooksThere's many a trouble
Would break like a bubble,
And into the waters of Lethe depart,
Did we not rehearse it,
And tenderly nurse it,
And give it a permanent place in the heart
There's many a sorrow
Would vanish tomorrow.
Were we but willing to furnish the wings:
So sadly intruding,
And quietly brooding,
It hatches all sorts of horrible things.
Resolve to be merry,
All worry to ferry,
Across the famed waters that bid us forget.
And no longer fearful,
But happy and cheerful,
We feel life has much that’s worth living for yet.
A Life Well Lived Poem
The Mission Of The Soul
Poet: Fred R. GoddardEvery man with heavy load
Toils along a lonesome road,
Climbing high a rocky steep
To the Silence of the Deep;
Yet his impulse says: "I must
Leave my foot prints in the dust,
So that every other man
May climb higher than I can."
But the impluse and the will
That has forced us on the hill,
Has made every gallant soul
Struggle to the Higher Goal;
Oft' their tracks I closely scan,
Wishing well I knew each man
Who has gone along the road
Where I pack my heavy load.
But their tracks are all I see -
All which they have left for me!
Yet to me they clearly say:
"We have come along this way!
We have felt the Holy Thrill
While we labored up this hill!
Since there is no turning back.
We can only leave our track."
Onward, as the ages roll.
Ever onward to each goal:
Ever on the beaten track,
Where there is no turning back.
All must walk the ways of time ;
All must scale the Heights Sublime!
"Ever onward - goal-to-goal,"
Is the mission of the soul!
Give Us, Lord
Author UnknownGive us, Lord, a bit o' sun,
A bit o' work and a bit o' fun;
Give us all in th' struggle an' splutter
Our daily bread an' a bit o' butter;
Give us health, our keep to make
An' a bit to spare for poor folks' sake;
Give us sense, for we're some of us duffers,
An' a heart to feel for all that suffers;
Give us, too, a bit of a song,
An' a tale, an' a book to help us along,
An' give us our share o' sorrow's lesson,
That we may prove how grief's a blessin'
Give us. Lord, a chance to be
Our goodly best, brave, wise an' free,
Our goodly best for ourself, and others,
'Till all men learn to live as brothers.
Short Poems about Life Struggles
These short poems about life struggles show the power of simple words—gentle reminders that within us lies the strength to rise and overcome.When times get hard and hope feels low,
Just take one step, not fast, but slow.
You’ve come this far—don’t let go,
The light ahead will start to glow.
You’ve been knocked down, but not for long,
Inside you lives a will so strong.
Storms may come, but skies turn blue—
There’s power and peace inside of you.
Struggles hurt, they wear you thin,
But don’t let doubt or fear win.
Keep moving on, just one more pace,
And you’ll find strength in every place.
Though life feels tough and dreams seem far,
Don’t forget how brave you are.
You’ve got the heart, you’ve got the fight—
Even small steps bring back the light.
Dark days don’t mean the end is near,
Each tear you cry will soon be clear.
The sun will shine, the pain will fade—
You’re stronger than the trials you’ve braved.
