THE MEASURES OF A MAN

Not – – “How did he die?” But – – “How did he live?”
Not – – “What did he gain?” But – – “But what did he give?”
These are the units to measure the worth
Of a man, as a man, regardless of birth.

Not – – “What was his station?” But – – “Had he a heart?”
And – – “How did he play his God given part?”
Was he ever ready with a word of good cheer,
To bring back a smile, to banish a tear?

Not – – “What was his church?” Nor – – “What was his creed?”
But – – “Had he befriended those really in need?”
Not – – “What did the sketch in the newspaper say?”
But – – “How many were sorry when he passed away?”

Author Unknown

In and Out of Time
Maya Angelou

The sun has come
The mist is gone
We see the in the distance
Our long way home
I was always yours to have
You were always mine
We have loved each other in and out of time
When the first stone looked up at the blazing sun
And the first tree struggled up from the forest floor
I have always loved you more
You freed your braids
Gave your hair to the breeze
It hummed like a hive of honey bees
I reached in the mass for the sweet honey comb there
Mmmmmm....God how I love your hair
You saw me bludgeoned by circumstance
Lost, injured, hurt by chance
I screamed to the heavens....loudly screamed
Trying to change our nightmares into dreams
The sun has come
The mist is gone
We see in the distance
Our long way home
I was always yours to have
You were always mine
We have loved each other in and out
In and out
In and out
Of time

Still remember this poem from grade school. I always loved the ending.

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening
by Robert Frost


Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Daddy Fell into the Pond
a poem by Alfred Noyes



Everyone grumbled. The sky was grey.
We had nothing to do and nothing to say.
We were nearing the end of a dismal day,
And then there seemed to be nothing beyond,
Then
Daddy fell into the pond!

And everyone's face grew merry and bright,
And Timothy danced for sheer delight.
"Give me the camera, quick, oh quick!
He's crawling out of the duckweed!" Click!

Then the gardener suddenly slapped his knee,
And doubled up, shaking silently,
And the ducks all quacked as if they were daft,
And it sounded as if the old drake laughed.
Oh, there wasn't a thing that didn't respond
When
Daddy Fell into the pond!

My sisters and I played school. We had a yellow hard cover book of varied poetry and though I had as an assignment to memorize "The Moon is the North Wind's Cookie", THIS was always one of my favorites along with Poor Old "Jonathan Bing".

Woops, got the title wrong above:

The Moon's the North Wind's Cookie
(What the Little Girl Said)
by Vachel Lindsay (1879-1931)


The Moon's the North Wind's cookie
He bites it, day by day
Until there's but a rim of scraps
That crumble all away.

The South Wind is the baker
He kneads clouds in his den,
And bakes a crisp new moon that ...
greedy.... North.... Wind ....eats....again!

Jonathan Bing

Betrice Curtis Brown

Poor old Jonathan Bing
Went out in his carriage to visit the King,
But everyone pointed and said, "Look at that!
Jonathan Bing has forgotten his hat!"
(He'd forgotten his hat!)

Poor old Jonathan Bing
Went home and put on a new hat for the King,
But by the palace the soldier said, "Hi!
You can't see the King; you've forgotten your tie!"
(He'd forgotten his tie!)

Poor old Jonathan Bing,
He put on a beautiful tie for the King,
But when he arrived, and Archbishop said, "Ho!
You can't come to court in pajamas, you know!"

Poor old Jonathan Bing
Went home and addressed a short note to the King:
"If you please will excuse me, I won't come to tea;
For home's the best place for all people like me!"

Okay, enough memory lane for me, NEXT!!!

FAILURE ... DOESN'T MEAN YOU ARE A FAILURE
IT DOES MEAN YOU HAVEN'T SUCCEEDED YET.
DOESN'T MEAN YOU HAVE ACCOMPLISHED NOTHING...
IT DOES MEAN YOU HAVE LEARNED SOMETHING.
DOESN'T MEAN YOU HAVE BEEN A FOOL...
IT DOES MEAN YOU HAD A LOT OF FAITH.
DOESN'T MEAN YOU HAVE BEEN DISGRACED....
IT DOES MEAN YOU ARE WILLING TO TRY.
DOESN'T MEAN YOU DON'T HAVE IT...
IT DOES MEAN YOU HAVE TO DO SOMETHING IN A DIFFERENT WAY.
DOESN'T MEAN YOU ARE INFERIOR...
IT DOES MEAN YOU ARE NOT PERFECT.
DOESN'T MEAN YOU HAVE WASTED YOUR LIFE...
IT DOES MEAN YOU HAVE THE REASON TO START A FRESH.
DOESN'T MEAN YOU SHOULD GIVE UP...
IT DOES MEAN YOU MUST TRY HARDER.
DOESN'T MEAN YOU'LL NEVER MAKE IT...
IT DOES MEAN IT WILL TAKE A LITTLE LONGER
DOESN'T MEAN GOD HAS ABANDONED YOU....
IT DOES MEAN GOD HAS A BETTER IDEA.

Don't forget to put where they're from or unknown. The above I found a lot of author unknowns and a couple postings attributing it to The Reverend Dr. Robert Schuller from his, "365 Positive Thoughts", etc. book.

I Wrote A Good Omelet

I wrote a good omelet...and ate
a hot poem... after loving you

Buttoned my car...and drove my
coat home...in the rain...
after loving you

I goed on red...and stopped on
green...floating somewhere in between...
being here and being there...
after loving you

I rolled my bed...turned down
my hair...slightly
confused but...I don't care...

Laid out my teeth...and gargled my
gown...then I stood
...and laid me down...To sleep...
after loving you


Written by Nikki Giovanni

I love Frost. Or should say I love the ones I like, lol. Plenty that I don't care for too.

My favorite:

Nature's first green is gold
her hardest hue to hold
her early leaf's a flower
but only so an hour
then leaf subsides to leaf
so Eden sank to grief
so dawn goes down to day
nothing gold can stay

This poetry I got from a friend didn't state the author Differentkindofwench. So, I kind of thought to leave it blank since I'm not quiet sure if it does have an author. You are right though Differentkindofwench. It would be best to leave an author after every poetry.

i heard this poem recited in a movie and really liked it!!!


i carry your heart with me by e. e. cummings

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)