A Gift If You Choose to Accept
By MR
If I could give you anything, I’d surely extend to you the immeasurable gift of hope…
Because when life and all those you trusted turn their
backs this element should help you progressively cope…
Through the hardships that are current, and the struggles that are sure to come…
So be motivated regardless of your shortcomings because
the battles lost turn into lessons of the wars you won…
Yet, I’ve still discovered that when I’m positively grounded,
I’m less likely to entertain any form of hate…
Due to the fact, my receptors are programmed only to pull
towards energy that’s constructing my self-desire of fate…
And although it’s never within me to judge, I will criticize
for the sake of my eternal peace and clarity…
A past stricken with adolescent anxiety and the absence
of love helped bridge the spills off my pride without charity.
This quest became a marriage without commitment…
A formal pursuit to the unknown without persistence…
An undying legacy without acknowledging tradition…
And my choice to accept divinity and truth without religion.
Unfortunately, I know the last line may raise the question
of whether am I a God-fearing man or not…
But to comprehend my analogy, you must first separate
the lessons from the questions encouraging your plot…
Because the difference between religion and the culture
of truth is that there’s actually no difference at all…
Nevertheless, how you worship God and cast your own
Karma will ultimately determine whether you rise or fall…
And when the eyes of your spirit finally open, you’ll
Realize the commonality between us is that we’re all living
and that our imperfections are small reminders that nothing
in life isn’t achievable without the right decision.
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The poets featured here are currently incarcerated, and many of them are in federal prisons far from home. Your feedback is a valuable source of motivation and connection to the outside community. Post your comments, feedback, and encouragement in the space below the poem. Messages will be passed on directly to the author. Comments may not appear immediately on the site, as our team processes them to mail to the poets.
Hi MR! My name is Aditi, and I am a freshman at Wayne State University in Detroit. I’m currently enrolled in a class that is attributed to Service Learning which aims branch out to communities that is beyond the university and other corporations.
I’ll admit that I was initially drawn to your poem by the tags, especially the one that listed this poem out to be hopeful through struggles. Your poem was so raw and intense and captivated me in the first few lines. I understand that the line that you wrote, ‘A past stricken with adolescent anxiety and the absence of love helped bridge the pills of my pride without charity’ is a direct testimony to how strong you have become through the inconsistencies you have faced earlier on in your life. That line solidified the sense of darkness but the grasp of hope the theme of the poem seems to be showing through.
You are an incredibly gifted individual, and it is very apparent through h your work. I personally never turned to writing as a way to air out my feelings but I’m so sure through your piece that it must be a great way to open up in a safe environment.
Hi,
I really enjoyed your poem. I encourage you to keep writing and share your inspiring work of positivity. The ending sections of the work (about religion) I found particularly interesting. If you wanted to, you could build upon that topic onto its own poem.
I am a little confused on the pattern of the ellipsis. The rhyming pattern is also a little off. I see some of the pattern, bit it feels imperfect in other areas.
Thank you for sharing your work with me!
MR, this poem is awesome. It really encapsulates the idea of Hope and how Hope can get us through the toughest of times. I admire the way you speak from the heart and give your true experiences. I also enjoy the rhymes within your poem.
I really enjoyed the later parts of the poem about religion and its analogy. It felt really well written, and it definitely spoke to me the most out of all of the poem. I think your writing is very beautiful, the words really do feel like art. Sometimes it was a little bit hard to figure out the meaning, but on the other hand that also left it more up to interpretation, which can be really good with art.
Going back and re-reading the beginning of the poem after reading the whole thing also just gave it all another dimension!
Hi MR. I am a student from a community driven class. While I was reading your poem, the tone made me think of someone really, really intelligent, wise, perhaps someone with knowledge to bear. I think it is best to tell you what I think the poem means, since others will not do so. I believe the line that mentions separating the lessons from the questions is taking the lessons from the wars you won, or the actions you deemed correct, to answer the questions you have about life. I believe “A formal pursuit to the unknown without persistence” refers to your pursuit or your criticism of those that are not hopeful. And I think those without persistence are also people with a religion. Religion being something that will never die, and I believe “without acknowledging tradition” may refer to the fact that people with religion do not recall the activities or rituals as repeated for centuries. I then think that is why you chose not to accept religion, because you do not believe in it. I believe what you did was you separated lessons from questions yourself: the lessons being what you learned from the past by following hope to answer the question of whether there is a god or not. I believe that was the question for you, but generally, the questions of your life may refer to the questions you have about life. I believe that, along with your anxious adolescence and the people you trusted that have turned their backs on you, IS your story that you are trying to tell. I believe you wrap everything up by first separating religion with culture of truth (which I assume implies religion is not true), and then bringing them back together since it is ultimately hope that dictates how successful a person will be, regardless of the belief in a god or not. In summary, hope guides a person into persisting, making actions based on successful lessons to ultimately make the right decision for them.
I don’t think I have to tell you how good your poem is. Other people will do that. What I will say is that I only needed 100 words for credit, and I spent an hour thirty minutes and 453 words on yours. Additionally, I type as fast as I think, so most of the time I was having fun analyzing your poem. If I am completely wrong about your story, let that be on me. A great poem is simply a great poem. I genuinely wish I could ask you for what it means because I spent so much time on it. Regardless, I hope this analysis helps you in some way. Adieu, great sage.
Hi MR,
Thank you for this gift. Thank you for sharing this poem. I was very moved by your words and I want to applaud your resilience and wisdom, expressed so eloquently and with such soul. I love that you are in tune with “the commonality between us,” the shared experience of existence that ties us together.
I wish you good luck and high spirits on your journey. Keep writing.
I would encourage you to lean on your faith and hold strong. I couldn’t agree with you more. Nobody is perfect. Nobody can always do the right thing, but we can always try.
Dear MR,
Reading your poem really helped us rethink about how religion, faith, and hope are actually connected. I’ve noticed from examples in my life, how people use this “immeasurable gift of hope” to cope when everything in their life seems to go against them. However, this gift of hope, for some, is bound to religion but for others, as yours, is not bound. Reading your poem helped me think about religion as a possible means to gain this hope and salvation, but can just as easily be achieved without. I appreciate your insights on hope and found it inspiring how you portray the minimal differences between religions and the “culture of truth”. This poem invited us to think and look at faith in a different way, which we greatly appreciate. We would love to read more of your works in the future!
MR,
Thank you for sharing your experience! You have been formed by many difficult experiences. I enjoy your hope and positivity. Keep that mindset!
I like what you said about our shortcomings can turn into lessons. To me, your poem is telling me to keep positive, acknowledge I am not perfect, and try to learn from my failures and be better next time. I also really like how rhythmic your words become at the end. We all struggle, but your words give me hope.
I really liked this poem and it shows how having Hope can truly get us through the hardest of times. Although things in life may be difficult, if we just keep going and pushing through we will eventually overcome these things. I also like how your poem flows and is easy to read and understand. Keep up the great work!
This is outstanding truly. In our darkest times, it is hope and faith that will pull us through, whatever that may look like to anyone as an individual. Finding hope within our lives is so important and necessary because it reminds us that we are beyond capable of overcoming whatever adversities we may face over the course of our existence. I also really liked that you mentioned the fact that you don’t judge but you will criticize, because this is something that I have noticed within myself as well. But once I remind myself that I am a human being living amongst other human beings, I am also reminded that to criticize the humanity of others is to criticize the humanity of myself as well and that I should rather choose to embrace our oneness for everything beautiful that it possesses. Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful words.
Very powerful poem that spreads hope. Thanks for taking the time out to bless us with this work of art.
I can relate to the truth stated that when life seems to be failing an you are losing out of humans hope is indeed an element that can help to cope with the situation. The bible refers to hope/faith as a substance of things hoped for but the evidence of things unseen. Hope is not tangible but it gives you vision for a change.
I also like that you brought across the point that irregardless of a person being religious or have a christian belief we should agree and acknowledge that making the right decisions in life will determine if we succeed or fail. Karma is real what you put in is what you will receive.
Hi, Mr. Your poem brings hope to its readers. The hope and the balance your poem brings is shown in your writing. Your piece definitely is invoking, and it speaks to a large audience. Very nicely done!