This is an excerpt from the author’s poetry collection, Hope is a Traveler 

Once in a while they’ll remind you

how you could have been someone great,

or could have accomplished a noble feat—if only.

What is greatness?

Is it that you want to pave a vast road of achievements

that will cover all of time

with your works and your namesake?

The greatest derive from humble beginnings—

they begin by simply being.

Dormant yet alive, they embark on the greatest voyage

holding tightly to dreams and visions, hoping

one day to break their shell and push out from the dirt.

As they labor and plod along,

they feel the heat of the day

warm their dewy skin,

beyond the mire of worry.

Their fragrance, never wasted, goes out into the wind

offering salt to each new morning, as imperfect grains

enhancing the entire day around them.

Through it all, despite it all, they persevere

because they learned over and over

that the splinters of disappointment

can emerge as paragons of victory

as they knit their great, intricate uniqueness.

On they walk, in spite of all the harsh task masters—

naysayers casting gloom, critics finding fault,

accusers inciting blame,

and through every shaming obstacle.

With each honorable step moving forward,

watching life unfold with marvel,

as beings simply being, they walk

upon this pathway of great wonder.

And the road is plenty wide and welcoming,

speaking out to all,

This is the perfect place,

this is the right time,

this is where wish becomes possible.

~

Author: Susan Frybort 

Editor: Caroline Beaton

Photo: Flickr