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The Way Up

David A Whitfield

Upon the correlation
Of profit and loss, I guess
The things I’ve blown or brought me success
Do very little for my ego

For I am horrified
The days like sand through hourglass fall
Spent misdirected or doing nothing at all
Are greater than days lived nobly

But who can
Determine whether loss or gain will stay
Failure may be triumph on the way
The bottom of the barrel may be the way up

About this poem

This little poem came about one morning by the sudden realization that he'd not written in his journal for a good many days. That led to despair over wasted time and failure. Then at last the bright thought that days of inactivity or even failure most likely are on the same eventual path to success.

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Written on October 22, 2020

Submitted on September 16, 2021

Modified on March 05, 2023

22 sec read
11

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABBX XCCX ADDX
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 378
Words 74
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4
Full analysis for The Way Up »

David A Whitfield

 · 1966 · Sherman TX

David A Whitfield is a mailman by trade. He writes prose and poetry about life in general. More specifically, he is fascinated by the historical overlay of the downtown area of the city he carries mail in every day. The old buildings and the ancient faces that used to occupy them are a point of much historical research for him. He is currently working on a memoir of sorts that will delve into fun and interesting anecdotes of his over thirty-five year career as a mailman. You can look for his poems here on poetry.com more…

All David A Whitfield poems | David A Whitfield Books

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    "The Way Up" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 Nov. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/109703/the-way-up>.

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