Happy National Poetry Month — Poem In Your Pocket Day

Three Poems I Carry in the Pocket of My Heart

Photo by yeongkyeong lee on Unsplash

Poetry is my first love, and I’m so excited that an entire month is dedicated to it. For Poem In Your Pocket Day, I’m sharing my top three favorite poems. I would love to read your favorite poems!

Success, aka The Will to Win by Bertron Braley, is my favorite poem. It rings as true today as it did over one hundred years ago. It sums up my lifelong aspirations and determination to succeed at something, preferably writing!

Success by Bertron Braley

If you want a thing bad enough
To go out and fight for it,
Work day and night for it,
Give up your time and your peace and your sleep for it

If only desire of it
Makes you quite mad enough
Never to tire of it,
Makes you hold all other things tawdry and cheap for it

If life seems all empty and useless without it
And all that you scheme and you dream is about it,

If gladly you’ll sweat for it,
Fret for it,
Plan for it,
Lose all your terror of God or man for it,

If you’ll simply go after that thing that you want.
With all your capacity,
Strength and sagacity,
Faith, hope and confidence, stern pertinacity,