If by Rudyard Kipling

Gone are the days when good and great poems were taught, sought after, and appreciated. Could it be that this interest has been taken over instead by TV series binging or downright movie streaming?

“I think that I shall never see a poem lovely as a tree…” This piece seems to be the only familiar poem to a lot of motorists as they travel through the highways.

I used to write poetry. Writing poems came easy for me. There was a phase in my life when I would churn out poem after poem because I was in love with The Ilocana.

Today I still do; in love with her but the poetry aspect seems to be a thing of the past. There was another reason why the proclivity in poetry started diminishing. And it began happening the day I started my role as a news editor for our college paper and that was when my poetic inclinations declined substantially.

There seems to be a slight surge in interests towards poetry in certain circles among the young and I hope that more people would take more liking to it. It’s not easy to write poetry, and sometimes it may not be easy to comprehend. The richness of the prose is not a mere tweet that can be glanced at and understood in an instant. Perhaps in a social media-saturated world wherein thoughts, views, and opinions are restricted to a 280-character single tweet has caused the inability for many to hold attention and to digest a literary piece of work luxuriously; and yet so much wisdom and enrichment can be learned and shared by studying the works of the masters.

One good example is the poem “If” by Rudyard Kipling. It includes some of the best advice a parent could give a child: Now as you read through the lines, I would encourage you to take the time and attention to observe and absorb the words and think through the verses.

IF by Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or, being lied about, don’t deal in lies,

Or, being hated, don’t give way to hating,

And yet don’t look too good nor talk too wise;

If you can dream – and not make dreams your master;

If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with triumph and disaster

And treat those two imposters just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

And stoop and build ’em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on”;

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with kings – nor lose the common touch;

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,

And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!

A short poem like this, crafted with an economy of words sends forth a deep and profound message and readers like me, as do many others, are moved and inspired by it. Now observe the lyrics from current songs, dialogues from movies, and yes even some modern day “poetry” that contain tonnage of cussing and cursing with many young minds absorbing the expletives as if they are acceptable and standard; and you begin to trace mini-aggressions and the inability to think.

We need to enrich the minds of the young and equip them with the ability to think. A very personal and subjective viewpoint from me is my preference for ancient scriptures-the Bible. In it, I have found the richness of prose and poetry that does not only carry the wisdom for the ages, but offers the power to transform lives. It is a book with a claim that every time you read it, the author is with you. But then again, that is just my opinion and can only offer personal experiential evidence to support my claim.

It takes a lot of wisdom and understanding to write and to appreciate poetry. But if this would help enrich our minds and that of our children; wouldn’t that be a worthy investment?

(Attend the two exciting and productive days of leadership training with Francis Kong in his highly acclaimed Level Up Leadership seminar-workshop this April 2 and 3 at Makati Diamond Residences across Greenbelt 1. For registration or inquiries contact April at +63928-559-1798 or register online at www.levelupleadership.ph)