Inspiration: In school, we study courageous figures in history, courageous characters in the novels we read, and courageous people in our world right now. Do we talk enough about the courage within YOU? When was the last time we asked you to share stories of your courage? Have you ever heard about our courageous moments?
On this cold Monday, write about the COURAGE within you.
cour·age
ˈkərij/
noun
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the ability to do something that frightens one.“she called on all her courage to face the ordeal”
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strength in the face of pain or grief.“he fought his illness with great courage”
synonyms: bravery, courageousness, pluck, pluckiness, valor, fearlessness, intrepidity, nerve, daring, audacity, boldness, grit, true grit, hardihood, heroism, gallantry; More
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Remember to post your poem as a comment, and feel free to write about a different topic if you wish.
Happy writing, friends.
My students think this poem is phenomenal and powerful!
Well, thank you and your students! Warms my heart. It can be scary to be vulnerable in public, but this kind response from “strangers” is just the support I need to keep writing!
In the deepest part of me,
there is a whisper that I can,
for the most part,
ignore.
It says, You’re not good enough.
It says, You’re replaceable.
It is a whisper of self-doubt .
There have been times in my life
when I’ve heard
the words of my whispers
uttered aloud:
A boyfriend: It’s not you it’s me.
A student: This is boring.
A teacher: Your writing is credulous.
A father: I’d trade you in to see my inventions alive.
A boss: You’d be a loss.
No longer deep within in me,
words uttered to me
ring like a fire bell
inside my chest,
my heart swelling
to capacity with pain.
Now here’s the courage part:
my heart forces me, no, teaches me
to face the pain —
to feel the pain in me that needs to be loved,
to hear the pain in the people whose utterances cut,
to listen to the pain the in world that I am desperate to understand.
I feel. I hear.I listen.
Above all,
I seek understanding.
And that is good enough
And that is irreplaceable.
And that is courage.