What The Heart Of The Young Man Said To The Psalmist

Tell 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 o’erhead!

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.

I try to find the words I want to say,
But they just won't come.
I want the things I feel, to be the things I write.
But the words won't come.

When I write a poem,
The words in my heart must be translated
Into a language
That can be both seen and heard.

But sometimes the translator gets stuck,
In trying to read
My deepest, truest emotions
Amongst the jumble of my thoughts.

And so now I'm stuck
With a plethora of locked-up feelings,
Yearning to be said.
And this is what they call, the writer's block.

For a while I've had thoughts and feelings,
Floating around in my mind;
Emotions I've tried to grasp,
Words I've tried to form.
But I can't quite seem to spin my thoughts of straw
Into words of gold.
How do I tell you that I love
The way you make me smile?
If I only knew how,
Then I would tell you
How much you mean to me.
I'd show you the light
You bring into my life,
Like the warm glow of a candle.
Or the stars that aligned
And caused our paths to cross.
If I ever got the chance,
I'd thank you for being the kind of person
That makes me want to be,
A better me than I am right now.

It's a daunting task to fix yourself.
It's like trying to clean a toddler's room,
Or raking leaves on a windy day.
It's an endless task,
Cause it's never just one thing—
When it rains, it pours.
Be kind to others,
Work hard at school.
Love your father,
Always say your prayers.
Don't be so depressed,
Don't be such a dork.
Try to be more friendly,
Try to make new friends.
You've got to lose those extra pounds.
Oh, but please don't starve yourself!
Control your thoughts,
Control your words.
Be responsible,
And be mature.
Make sure you get enough sleep,
But you can't sleep the day away.
Be an example for all to see—
You never know who's watching.
I can't do this all at once!