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I Failed

I failed so dramatically most early days
I failed horribly in most critical ways
I failed to use schooling at each different age
I failed in the waste of my talents each stage
I failed with some friendships in whole or in part
I failed big time with enterprise “of the heart’
I failed due to deficits of self-esteem
I failed due to not living life with a dream
I failed from the frequency of denigrations
I failed from commensurate low expectations
I failed and the failing bred feeling defeated
And all of that failure is why I’ve succeeded.

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Benefits of Older Age

I’m grateful for the benefits of age.
The heightened skill at navigating stress,
Life’s challenges met better at this stage.

Awareness of what we should most address,
Less focus on the things we can’t control,
More tolerance from knowledge we possess.

Our peace of mind now made the foremost goal.
Success comes from inside, not others’ takes,
To our own thoughts we give the foremost role.

Enhanced self-confidence a prime life makes,
No longer trapped inside a mental cage.
Ability to love for others’ sakes.

The ignorance from which we’ve turned the page.
I’m grateful for the benefits of age.

.

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Technical Support

If you turn on your computer,
But then nothing works as planned,
You can call the troubleshooter,
Whom you pray you’ll understand.

.

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Loony Lefty Language

The loony leftists always can
Make some new crazed assertion,
A former “mother” now is an
“Inseminated person.”

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Russel Winick recently started writing poetry after ending a long legal career. He resides in Naperville, Illinois.

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5 Responses

  1. Roy Eugene Peterson

    Delightful as always with appropriate titles along with trenchant and meaningful endings.

    Reply
    • Russel Winick

      Thanks Roy. I had never written a terza rima closed sonnet before. Didn’t even know what it was. Evan’s book came in handy!

      Reply
  2. Paul A. Freeman

    Alas, I’m still awaiting that bestseller – but I’m still in the mix.

    Re. benefits of old age, some of the junior winners of the 2024 SCP annual competition had a different spin on ageing that was quite refreshing. Check out G. Cheung and Rachel’s poems, especially Rachel’s.

    https://classicalpoets.org/the-2024-scp-international-high-school-poetry-competition-winners-continued/

    Troubleshooting? I’m currently going round in circles with Kindle Direct Publishing.

    As for loony language, it seems to work both ways. Look at the Jan 6th insurgents being dubbed ‘hostages’. Or…

    The loony rightists always can
    Make some crazed assertion;
    The Gulf of Mexico’s still there,
    Not Donald’s weird perversion.

    Reply
  3. fred schueler

    here’s a recent facebook post:

    O to be a total failure,
    O to fail both up and down,
    and around and back and over,
    with a circum-smuckulent sound.

    Reply

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