1. Life Will Yield
   Poet: Unknown
   
   We must not hope to be mowers,
   And to gather the ripe, golden ears,
   Unless we have first been sowers,
   And watered the flowers with tears.
   
   It is not just as we take it,
   This wonderful world of ours
   Life’s field will yield as we make it
   A harvest of thorns or of flowers.




2. This Life Is What We Make It
   Poet: Maria Frink
   
   Let's oftener talk of noble deeds,
   And rarer of the bad ones,
   And sing about our happy days,
   And not about the sad ones.
   We are not made to fret and sigh,
   And when grief sleeps to wake it:
   Bright happiness is standing by -
   This life is what we make it.
   
   Let's find the sunny side of men,
   Or be believers in it;
   A light there is in every soul
   That takes the pains to win it.
   Oh! there's a slumbering good in all;
   And we perchance may wake it
   Our hands contain the magic wand -
   This life is what we make it.
   
   Then here's to those whose loving hearts
   Shed light and joy about them!
   Thanks be them for countless gems
   We ne'er had known without them.
   Oh! this should be a happy world
   To all who may partake it:
   The fault's our own if it is not -
   This life is what we make it.




Sad Poems



3. Life
   Poet: Bernhart Paul Holst
   
   My life is a beautiful song,
   The days pass swiftly away,
   The years speed so quickly along —
   It seems like the dream of a day.
   
   My youth was a charming delight,
   A springtime of which poets sin;
   It dawned on me, happy and bright,
   But flew like a bird on the wing.
   
   The years of maturity came.
   Fraught with the chances of life;
   The labors that were not in vain
   Gave stimuli, fruitful and rife.
   
   As student, as teacher, as man.
   The seasons so quickly have flown;
   The cycles of time swiftly ran
   And taken dear friends I have known.
   
   And soon will I turn to the west,
   West, where the sun sinks from view.
   To welcome the long, peaceful rest,
   After bidding all earth-friends adieu.
   
   My life is a beautiful song,
   The days pass swiftly away,
   The years speed so quickly along —
   It seems like the dream of a day.




Fire and Ice Poem



4. What Is This Life
   Poet: W. H. Davies
   
   What is this life if, full of care,
   We have no time to stand and stare?—
   No time to stand beneath the boughs,
   And stare as long as sheep and cows:
   
   No time to see, when woods we pass,
   Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass:
   No time to see, in broad daylight,
   Streams full of stars, like skies at night:
   
   No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
   And watch her feet, how they can dance:
   No time to wait till her mouth can
   Enrich that smile her eyes began?
   
   A poor life this if, full of care,
   We have no time to stand and stare.




Poems About Beauty



5. Your Life
   Poet: Julie Hebert, © 2011
   
   Each day we are given is a gift,
   And a gift we always should appreciate.
   When time starts to run together,
   It's then that our time depreciates.
   
   So try to slow and take each day,
   Only one at a time.
   Life will always have its ups and downs,
   But the ups are more fun to climb.
   
   Every morning awake to accomplish something,
   Should be on your mind.
   So choose your thought for the day,
   And do it and then unwind.
   
   If every day you have a goal,
   And every day it gets done.
   Life will never run away,
   And life will be much more fun.







6.  A Balance In Life?
   Poet: Catherine Pulsifer, © 2019
   
   How do you get a balance in life?
   Our time can sometimes create such strife
   How much of your time is focused on
   Getting to the top and being number one.
   
   There is more to life than just making money
   Look at relationships and spending time with your buddy
   At the end of the day, you will see that these things
   Relationships are key and happiness they bring.
   
   And if only you seek to have fun and play
   You will not find happiness each day
   As time goes on with no goals in mind
   Life has a tendency to leave you behind.
   
   The time we spend can have so many demands
   Balance seems hard to learn and understand
   But remember, you have control of it
   You decide what you'll permit.
   
   So what does a balance in life mean to you?
   Do you consider it in all you do
   Take the time to work hard but, also relax
   Don't get worn down and overtaxed.
   
   Moderation in life is the key
   Balance can result in feelings of happy.
   So whatever you do may you find
   Work hard but allow time to unwind.




Train Of Life Poem



7.  The Meaning of Life
   Poet: Catherine Pulsifer, © 2020
   
   Have you given thought to the meaning of life
   Or do you go day to day with the strife
   Do you ever step back and reflect
   On the meaning of life and every aspect.
   
   What is your purpose in life to be
   These are questions you must ask and see
   Questions to reflect on and consider
   Are you happy or are you bitter.
   
   Is there more to life than you realize
   Do you help others and recognize
   That life is not just about you
   We are all in it together that is so true.
   
   The years go by in a blink of an eye
   What will people say about you when you die?
   Will they remember how hard you worked
   Or will they remember you as a jerk.
   
   The meaning of life is to me
   Sharing and kindness to be
   A loving person who helps others
   One who realizes that we are all brothers.







8. Values Life
   John Sterling
   
   A happy lot must sure be his--
   The lord, not slave, of things--
   Who values life by what it is
   And not by what it brings.




9. The Years Go By
   Poet: Catherine Pulsifer, © 2020
   
   When we were young aging seemed like fun
   We couldn't wait until the age was done
   We then hit our teens and with life came
   Some responsibility but still lots of games.
   And so the twenty's were realized
   And we found we had to get organized.
   
   And before you knew it we hit the big three o!
   A party was had, the energy was glad, oh, what a show
   Before you knew it they were saying over the hill
    You hit the age of forty and had responsibility for all the bills
   Fifty crept up ever so slow
   But you wonder where did the years go?
   
   With 60 approaching you look back and see
   How fast the years went by, oh, you need more coffee
   70 flys by in a blink of an eye
   You just grin and kiss the years goodbye.
   Then 80 arrives with a blast
   With family around you wondering how long you will last.
   
   While the words may seem funny,
   Aging can truly be sunny
   Live your life and
   Let aging have its way
   Enjoy your life and keep smilin'
   The years will pass by that is for certain!




Funny Poems About Life



10. Struggles Come Your Way
    Poet: Catherine Pulsifer, © 2020
    
    Just because struggles come your way
    That doesn't mean it can ruin your day
    The good and the bad are a way of life
    Don't get down, move beyond the strife.
    
    We must live life, taking things in stride
    Helping each other, stopping any divide
    Life is better when we support and love
    And that is what's expected from above.
    
    You see we were given choices to make
    We are not robots, we are not fake
    So if you're faced with a trial or two
    Don't give up, let others help you through.




Poems About Life And Love



11. Everybody Is Lonesome
    Poet Unknown
    
    Way down deep within their hearts
    Everybody's lonesome;
    Far within their secret parts
    Everybody's lonesome.
    Makes no difference how they smile,
    How they live or what their style;
    Once in every little while
    Everybody's lonesome.
    
    People first in big affairs —
    Even they are lonesome.
    Maybe like to put on airs;
    Just the same, they're lonesome.
    Men for whom existence blends
    Every good; who gain all ends,
    Still reach out their hands for friends;
    Everybody's lonesome.
    
    Women, silk-clad, jeweled fine.
    Yes, they, too, are lonesome;
    When their gems the brightest shine.
    They are just as lonesome.
    Some must serve and some command.
    All still seek, with groping hand.
    Love, and friends who understand.
    Everybody's lonesome.
    
    Though your gift of friendship's small
    Everybody's lonesome.
    It may answer someone's call;
    Someone who is lonesome.
    Give, and give with might and main;
    Give your hands, and join the chain,
    And your gift will be your gain
    Some time, when you're lonesome.




The Man In The Glass Poem



12. When Does Life Begin
    Poet: Catherine Pulsifer, © 2020
    
    
    Does life begin when you obtain more things?
    Or does life begin when you make big earnings?
    Does life begin when tomorrow dawns
    Or does tomorrow just make you yawn?
    
    The only life we have to live
    Is today, the day we have to give
    Don't wait for a certain thing
    For happiness to bring.
    
    Live each day and live it full
    Don't waste it and be a fool
    Begin each day and be thankful for
    All that the day has in store!




Apology Poems



13. Life Is For Livin
    Poet: Catherine Pulsifer, © 2020
    
    Life is meant to be lived each day
    Do our best in every way
    Set our goals and work towards
    The achievement and its rewards.
    
    We must always appreciate
    And take the time to initiate
    Relationships that are key to life
    To help us through daily strife.
    
    No sense worrying about what tomorrow holds
    Live today and see it unfold
    Be thankful for what we've been given
    Each day is a time for truly livin'!




Poems About Money



14. What Are
    Poet: Catherine Pulsifer, © 2020
    
    What are the things you are thankful for?
    Do you focus on whether you're rich or poor;
    Or are you content or looking for more;
    Do you focus on material things;
    Do you think happiness they will bring;
    Do you focus on making more money;
    Does money bring you more of life's honey.
    
    What are the things you are thankful for?
    Is it "when this happens" tomorrow will be -
    I will be happier just wait and see.
    Do you miss the sunset and sunrise or do you see
    That time passed by because you are too busy.
    When family and friends call you on the phone
    You're too busy you say, with a groan.
    
    The things to be thankful for money can't buy
    Money and things just can't supply
    Be thankful for the simple things - just stop and see
    People who love you to every degree.
    The breathtaking sunset and the sunrise
    Can delight your eyes and give such a surprise.
    So take time and be thankful for the simple things
    Today they surround you and happiness they can bring.







15. Little Things
    Poet: Catherine Pulsifer, © 2020
    
    Simple things are the little things
    Such happiness they can bring
    From watching a sunrise
    To giving a child a simple surprise.
    
    If we stop and look and see
    How simple things in life can be
    The best and happiest times
    During our life journey climb.




Poems About Colors



16. Happy Times
    Poet: Kate Summers
    
    Holidays are meant to be
    Happy times for all to see
    The time may be a special occasion
    Or it may be a two week vacation.
    
    No matter what the holiday
    Whether at home or away
    Be sure to relax, fun to be had
    A time for all to be glad.




Holiday Poems



17. Downsizing Means
    Poet: Catherine Pulsifer, © 2015
    
    My previous life when I heard the term
    downsizing meant a turn for worse
    But now we are talking not about a job
    We are talking about a smaller home
    
    Letting go of space
    Letting go of material things
    Less room
    Will this be doom?
    
    But the benefits to me
    Less housework you see
    Lower heating costs
    And a cozier house
    
    So now when I hear the term
    Downsizing means
    Living simply with
    The things that mean something to me!




18. Red Geraniums
    by Martha Haskell Clark
    
    Life did not bring me silken gowns,
    Nor jewels for my hair,
    Nor signs of gabled foreign towns
    In distant countries fair,
    But I can glimpse, beyond my pane, a green and friendly hill,
    And red geraniums aflame upon my window sill.
    
    The brambled cares of everyday,
    The tiny humdrum things,
    May bind my feet when they would stray,
    But still my heart has wings
    While red geraniums are bloomed against my window glass,
    And low above my green-sweet hill the gypsy wind-clouds pass.
    
    And if my dreamings ne’er come true,
    The brightest and the best,
    But leave me lone my journey through,
    I’ll set my heart at rest,
    And thank God for home-sweet things, a green and friendly hill,
    And red geraniums aflame upon my window sill.




Poems About Life Struggles



19. When?
    Poet Unknown
    
    When fortune with a smiling face
    Strews roses on our way,
    When shall we stop to pick them up?
    Today, my love, today!
    But should she frown with face of care
    And speak of coming sorrow,
    When shall we grieve, if grieve we must?
    Tomorrow, love, tomorrow!
    
    If those who've wronged us own their fault.
    And kindly pity, pray
    When shall we listen and forgive?
    Today, my love, today!
    But if stern justice urge rebuke.
    And warmth from memory borrow,
    When shall we chide, if chide we must?
    Tomorrow, love, tomorrow!




20. Somehow Or Other
    Poet: Unknown
    
    Life is a burden to every one's shoulder
    None may escape from its troubles and care;
    Miss it in youth and 'twill come when we 're older,
    And fit us as close as the garments we wear.
    Sorrow comes into our home uninvited,
    Robbing our heart of its treasures of song;
    Lovers grow cold and our friendships are slighted,
    Yet somehow or other we worry along.
    
    Midst the sweet blossoms that smile on our faces
    Grow the rank weeds that would poison and blight;
    And e'en in the midst of earth's beautiful places
    There's always a something that isn't just right.
    Yet oft from the rock we may pick a gay flower,
    And drink from a spring in a desolate waste;
    They come to the heart as a heavenly dower,
    And nought is so sweet to the eye or the taste.
    
    Every-day toil is an every-day blessing,
    Though poverty's cottage and crust we may share;
    Weak is the back on which burdens are pressing,
    But stout is the heart which is strengthened by prayer.
    Somehow or other the pathway grows brighter
    Just when we mourned there was none to befriend;
    Hope in the heart makes the burden seem lighter,
    And somehow or other we get to the end.




21. Live For Something
    Poet: Unknown
    
    Live for something, be not idle,
    Look about thee for employ,
    Sit not down to useless dreaming,--
    Labor is the sweetest joy.
    Folded hands are ever weary,
    Selfish hearts are never gay,
    Life for thee hath many duties,--
    Active be, then, whilst thou may.
    
    Scatter blessings in thy pathway!
    Gentle words and cheering smiles
    Better are than gold and silver,
    With their grief-dispelling wiles.
    As the pleasant sunshine falleth
    Ever on the grateful earth,
    So let sympathy and kindness
    Gladden well the darkened hearth.
    
    Hearts there are oppressed and weary,--
    Drop the tear of sympathy;
    Whisper words of hope and comfort;
    Give, and thy reward shall be
    Joy unto thy soul returning,
    From this perfect fountain-head;
    Freely, as thou freely givest,
    Shall the grateful light be shed.




Poems About Joy



22. The Best Life
    Poet: Adelbert P. Caldwell
    
    He lives the best who never doth complain,
    Whether the passing days be filled with sun or rain;
    Who sows his deeds of love, and, patient, lives,
    Expecting not again the thing he gives;
    Who buries deep the Past - its pain, its tears -
    And bravely meets his Now, untrammeled by fears;
    
    Who lets his life so shine, e'en in the night,
    That wanderers distressed may see the Light;
    Who patiently toils on, though feet be sore;
    Whose home stands by the road with open door;
    Who smiles though down he sits to feast or crust -
    His faith in man sincere; in God his trust.




Poems About Home



23. The Sculptor-Boy
    Poet: W. C. Doane
    
    Chisel in hand stood a sculptor-boy,
    With his marble block before him;
    And his face lit up with a smile of joy
    As ah angel-dream passed o'er him.
    He carved that dream on the yielding stone
    With many a sharp incision;
    In Heaven's own light the sculptor shone -
    He had caught that angel-vision.
    
    Sculptors of life are we as we stand
    With our lives uncarved before us,
    Waiting the hour, when, at God's command,
    Our life-dream passes o'er us.
    Let us carve it, then, on the shielding stone.
    With many a sharp incision;
    Its heavenly beauty shall be our own -
    Our lives, that angel-vision.




24. Life's Golden Goblet
    Poet: Nellie Olsen
    
    A golden goblet each man holds,
    Its contents energy,
    And how we use this rare wine molds
    Our endless destiny.
    
    No life so mean but holds this power -
    Oh, wondrous, priceless draught!
    While hour by hour men ever pour
    It forth, and prize it not.
    
    Whatever way this vital force
    Is used, results obtain;
    For we may bring forth fruit perforce
    Of weeds or perfect grain.
    
    Some choose to spill this golden wine
    On fleeting things of time,
    Nor realize the gift's divine,
    And life a charge sublime.
    
    Then wisely pour the nectar forth;
    The greatest good secure
    From deeds that have the highest worth
    And ever shall endure.
    
    Seek not for deepest soul content
    From earthly sources, then,
    But let your choicest force be spent
    In doing good to men.




25. How To Live
    Poet: Horatius Bonar
    
    He liveth long who liveth well;
    All other life is short and vain:
    He liveth longest who can tell
    Of living most for heavenly gain.
    
    He liveth long who liveth well;
    All else is being flung away:
    He liveth longest who can tell
    Of true things truly done each day.
    
    Waste not thy being; back to Him
    Who freely gave it, freely give:
    Else is that being but a dream;
    'Tis but to be, and not to live.
    
    Be what thou seemest; live thy creed;
    Hold up to earth the torch divine;
    Be what thou prayest to be made;
    Let the great Master's steps be thine.
    
    Fill up each hour with what will last;
    Buy up the moments as they go:
    The life above, when this is past,
    Is the ripe fruit of life below.
    
    Sow truth, if thou the true wouldst reap;
    Who sows the false shall reap the vain;
    Erect and sound thy conscience keep;
    From hollow words and deeds refrain.
    
    Sow love, and taste its fruitage pure;
    Sow peace, and reap its harvests bright;
    Sow sunbeams on the rock and moor,
    And find a harvest-home of light.




26. Only A Moment
    Poet: P. B. Davis
    
    Only one little moment;
    All our work to be done -
    Sheaves of a life-time gathered,
    Victories lost or won.
    
    No time to be standing idle;
    No time to be gazing back
    To the flowers we leave ungathered-
    We can not retrace the track.
    
    No time for vain repining
    O'er battles we have lost;
    Nor after every conquest
    To sit and count the cost.
    
    No time for idle dreaming
    Of victories to be won,
    Of pleasures that may greet us
    When the moment's work is done.
    
    No time for hate and malice;
    No time for idle strife
    We've only just a moment
    In which to live a life.
    
    Only one little moment;
    All our work to be done -
    Sheaves of a life-time gathered,
    Victories lost or won.




27. The Happy Life
    Poet: Thomas Campion
    
    The man of life upright,
    Whose guiltless heart is free
    From all dishonest deeds,
    Or thought of vanity;
    
    The man whose silent days
    In harmless joys are spent,
    Whom hopes cannot delude,
    Nor sorrow discontent, -
    
    That man needs neither towers
    Nor armour for defence.
    Nor secret vaults to fly
    From thunder's violence:
    
    He only can behold
    With unaffrighted eyes
    The horrors of the deep
    And terrors of the skies.
    
    Thus, scorning all the cares
    That fate or fortune brings,
    He makes the heaven his book,
    His wisdom heavenly things:
    
    Good thoughts his only friends,
    His wealth a well-spent age,
    The earth his sober inn
    And quiet pilgrimage.




28. Life As A School
    Poet: Maltbie Davenport Babcock
    
    Lord, let me make this rule
    To think of life as school,
    And try my best
    To stand each test,
    And do my work,
    And nothing shirk.
    
    Should some one else outshine
    This dullard head of mine,
    Should I be sad?
    I will be glad,
    To do my best
    Is Thy behest.
    
    Some day the bell will sound,
    Some day my heart will bound,
    As with a shout
    That school is out,
    And lessons done,
    I homeward run.




29. Real Life
    Poet: James Freeman Clarke
    
    To know that there are some souls, hearts and minds,
    Here and there who trust us and whom we trust:
    Some who know us and whom we know:
    Some on whom we can always rely and
    Who always rely upon us,
    Makes a paradise of this great world:
    This makes our life really life.




30. It's Life
    Poet: Edgar A. Guest
    
    If your plans go wrong, as they sometimes will,
    And the hours seem long as you climb the hill;
    Remember, my friend, 'tis a part you play.
    You'll find in the end a brighter day.
    It's life.
    
    If a heart grows cold that warmed to you.
    And a friend you hold to be staunch and true
    Has faithless turned, take heart, my friend,
    'Tis a lesson learned. With a bitter end.
    It's life.
    
    You may win great fame and wealth today;
    Or taste of shame and deep dismay.
    You may lose or gain, may rise or fall,
    Both joy and pain must come to all.
    It's life.
    
    For every smile there is a tear;
    For every mile both hope and fear;
    When some are gay some must be sad;
    Along our way are good and bad.
    It's life.
    
    Whatever may be your share of woe,
    Next day may see you come to know
    A joyful heart and perfect rest;
    So play your part and do your best.
    It's life.




Famous Poems About Life



31. The Light He Leaves
    Poet: H. W. Longfellow
    
    Were a star quenched on high.
    For ages would its light,
    Still travelling downward from the sky,
    Shine on our mortal sight.
    
    So when a great man dies.
    For years beyond our ken,
    The light he leaves behind him lies
    Upon the paths of men.




Poetry About Life and Death



32. The Neighborly Man
    Poet: Edgar A. Guest
    
    Some are eager to be famous, some are striving to be great,
    Some are toiling to be leaders of their nation or their state,
    And in every man's ambition, if we only understood,
    There is much that's fine and splendid; every hope is mostly good.
    So I cling unto the notion that contented I will be
    If the men upon life's pathway find a needed friend in me.
    
    I rather like to putter 'round the walks and yards of life.
    To spray at night the roses that are burned and browned with strife;
    To eat a frugal dinner, but always to have a chair
    For the unexpected stranger that my simple meal would share.
    I don't care to be a traveler, I would rather be the one
    Sitting calmly by the roadside helping weary travelers on.
    
    I'd like to be a neighbor in the good old-fashioned way,
    Finding much to do for others, but not over much to say.
    I like to read the papers, but I do not yearn to see
    What the journal of the morning has been moved to say of me;
    In the silences and shadows I would live my life and die
    And depend for fond remembrance on some grateful passers-by.
    
    I guess I wasn't fashioned for the brilliant things of earth.
    Wasn't gifted much with talent or designed for special worth,
    But was just sent here to putter with life's little odds and ends
    And keep a simple corner where the stirring highway bends,
    And if folks should chance to linger, worn and weary through the day.
    To do some needed service and to cheer them on their way.




Poems About Travel



33. Motive In Life
    by Stephen F. Herben
    
    What is your motive in life?
    Every life finds its chief inspiration somewhere.
    Perhaps it is to succeed?
    But what do you mean by success?
    
    Is it to gather together dollar after dollar;
    To stand in a conspicuous place in the social circle;
    To achieve some great result in invention,
    In commercial life, in art, in letters, in politics, in the professions;
    To indulge in the pleasure of the world life;
    Or is it to so live, that by the unhindered utterance
    Of the highest instincts and impulses of the heart,
    You shall make some permanent contribution toward the uplifting of men?
    
    The interpretation of life depends altogether upon the motive that inspires it.




life quotes to inspire



34. What Is Life To You?
    Poet: Unknown
    
    To the preacher life's a sermon,
    To the joker life's a jest.
    To the miser life is money.
    To the loafer life is rest;
    To the lawyer life's a trial;
    To the poet life's a song;
    To the doctor life's a patient
    That needs treatment right along.
    To the soldier life's a battle,
    To the teacher life's a school.
    Life's a good thing to the grafter,
    It's a failure to the fool.
    To the man upon the engine
    
    Life's a long and heavy grade;
    It's a gamble to the gambler,
    To the mrechant life is trade.
    Life is but a long vacation
    To the man who loves his work;
    Life's an everlasting effort
    To shun duty, to the shirk.
    To the earnest Christian worker
    Life's a story ever new;
    Life is what we try to make it -
    Brother, what is life to you?

More Poems about Life: