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Willpower and Discipline

Willpower and discipline,
have long been two of the 
most despised words in the 
english language to me.

What character flaw prevents  
the willpower and discipline
necessary to be the person
I imagine myself capable of being?

A half-lived life is heartbreaking.
There is no acceptable excuse, 
not age or disability.

Even people with no limbs 
live empowered lives 
built on willpower 
and discipline.

I curse this weakness within me. 
Yet, I see the fortress 
stored energy
has built around me. 

It protects me 
from vulnerability.
But does it really?

What my stout guardian 
fails to realize is, the same wall
that keeps others out, 
shuts me in. 

How I long to be free,
of this barren place with no
willpower and discipline. 

I want to feel again, 
but fear it may be 
too late.

So, I put all my passion
in words and warnings 
for those willing
to learn from my mistakes.

Willpower and discipline
can be your worst enemy
or best friend. 

With each pregnant moment, 
you decide which pain wins,
the pain of willpower and discipline
or the pain of loneliness and regret.

# # #

🌷(6)

disabilitydisciplineempowermentfriendsheartbreaklifeloneliness. regretpoemspoetryreflectionrelationshipsweaknesswillpower

◄ Abandoned

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Comments

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victoriavautaw@gmail.com

Fri 25th Oct 2019 07:17

John, You are a poet’s poet. Your comments are a delightful education in poetry and humanity. Thank you my friend. ?❤️

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John Marks

Wed 23rd Oct 2019 22:25

Painfully honest Cathy. Each day, each minute, offers something new for me, for you; we need to grasp these other echoes that inhabit the garden, as suggested by the greatest Anglo-American poet of the C20:

What might have been and what has been
Point to one end, which is always present.
Footfalls echo in the memory
Down the passage which we did not take
Towards the door we never opened
Into the rose-garden. My words echo
Thus, in your mind.
But to what purpose
Disturbing the dust on a bowl of rose-leaves
I do not know.
Other echoes
Inhabit the garden. Shall we follow?”

TS ELIOT FOUR QUARTETS

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Fred Nicholson

Wed 16th Oct 2019 04:59

Vautaw, I get it, bone deep!

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victoriavautaw@gmail.com

Sat 12th Oct 2019 22:47

I agree Don. Lessons learned the hard way! Thanks for reading and commenting. ?

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Don Matthews

Sat 12th Oct 2019 22:38

'Willpower and discipline
can be your worst enemy
or best friend'

So true....

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victoriavautaw@gmail.com

Sat 12th Oct 2019 22:12

Thank you for reading and your lovely comment Kate! It is definitely a loaded poem. I wish I had read a poem like this when I was young. One of the greatest things about poetry is that no experience is wasted!

<Deleted User> (22444)

Sat 12th Oct 2019 05:45

Beautiful Vautauw. I really love this and can relate. Lots of layers to unpick as I read over again. Thanks for sharing.

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