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Life Poems
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Read inspiring life poems such as this one by Edmund Vance Cooke entitled How Did You Die?. The question we must ask ourselves is "When you are ready to look back on your life... did you live it well?"
| General Grant at Ft. Donelson demanded unconditional and immediate surrender. Yet, as the victor at Appomattox, he offered lenient terms to the defeated enemy. Why the difference? The first event was at the beginning of the war, when the enemy's morale must be shaken. The other was at the end of the conflict, when a brave and noble adversary had been rendered helpless. In his quiet way Grant showed himself one of nature's gentlemen. |
The moral of life poems such as this one is that we should show respect to those who continually try to do their best, even if they don't succeed, because continued persistence and determination even in the face of daunting odds, are two character traits that should be applauded.
How Did You Die?
Did 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?
Oh, a trouble's a ton, or a trouble's 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?
You are beaten to earth? Well, well, what's that!
Come up with a smiling face.
It's nothing against you to fall down flat,
But to lie there--that's disgrace.
The harder you're thrown, why the higher you bounce
Be proud of your blackened eye!
It isn't the fact that you're licked that counts;
It's how did you fight--and why?
And though you be done to the death, what then?
If you battled the best you could,
If you played your part in the world of men,
Why, the Critic will call it good.
Death comes with a crawl, or comes with a pounce,
And whether he's slow or spry,
It isn't the fact that you're dead that counts,
But only how did you die?
~Edmund Vance Cooke (1866-1932)
Edmund Vance Cooke was born in Port Dover, Ontario, Canada. At the age of 13, he began working for the White Sewing Machine Co. factory. In 1893, he finally left the company to follow his passion as a poet and lecturer and soon became known as "the poet laureate of childhood." He published his first book of poems a year later called A Patch of Pansies. In total, he published 16 books of verse along with several other books. Cooke pioneered the way to live broadcasts when he began broadcasting his poems on the newly launched Detroit News radio station, WWJ, in 1920.
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How Did You Die? back to Life Poems
