I’ve been playing for years,
well aware of your fears,
most don’t make it, that’s clear,
but they say we’ve cracked the top ten;
a struggle it’s become,
but it always was one,
finally, it seems done,
downloads paying off dividends.
Hang on, hang on,
babe we’re almost there,
hang on, hang on,
we’ll get there.
So close to it
you better prepare,
hang on, hang on,
it’s right there!
Take a chance on my dream,
not a sure thing, it seemed,
of the crop I’m not the cream,
spent so many ate nights away.
I know you could have left,
parents said that was best,
maybe we passed the test,
we’re coming on a good payday!
Hang on, hang on,
babe we’re almost there,
hang on, hang on,
we’ll get there.
So close to it
you better prepare,
hang on, hang on,
it’s right there!
All that went wrong,
we’ve been waiting for so long,
all my mistakes,
challenges along the way.
all of this risk,
making sure I earned this,
breakthrough, at last,
no more days of living fast!
Hang on, hang on,
babe we’re almost there,
hang on, hang on,
we’ll get there.
So close to it
you better prepare,
hang on, hang on,
it’s right there!
If I can’t climb the mountain,
I will find a way around;
what matters is reaching the place
destiny has mapped before me.
If wrestling shadows is required,
I will fight them to succeed;
for in the book of life,
each page must turn with time,
its wisdom carefully absorbed
before the next is revealed.
As though life resents our existence,
it serves difficulties as daily bread.
To drink from the cup of victory,
forged in the furnace of success,
one must grow small as a camel
passing through the needle’s eye.
Success lies hidden in life’s belly;
one must pry open its clenched jaw,
wrest the sweetness it has swallowed,
before the songs of triumph are sung.
Though life’s teeth are igneous stone,
I will seize the molten magma,
shape it before it hardens,
and rise, crowned in blazing triumph.
sweet tender words may suffice
dreams have a life of their own
only actions go the distance
Wordku: 5-7-5 words
AP: 1st place 2025
People say I’m shy
But really I just feel inferior
To the brilliant minds that tick like clocks in the mirrors
Love-lost, deprived of dream appears,
Like life-adrift- in-stream appears.
On wooing, winning his life’s love,
Full of vigour and vim appears.
As success, past string of defeats,
Like a triumphant team appears.
Man’s real Self as comes to light,
Nigh like up-rising cream appears,
Till then his pretending ego,
Non-Self, proper and prim appears.
_________________________
Ghazal |01.09.2025| dream, love, success, Self
Politics favors those with thick skins ~
Especially those who grow double chins
We push to stand at the world’s edge,
to see it first, to touch it first, to claim it as ours.
But what is gained by being first?
When being second has a gift. We can share the moment with those who came before and those who will come after.
So I ask: what would you prefer?
The beauty of sharing, a living memory in the present, or the ache of being first, felt alone.
Leaning on a lampposts pole
Cigarette in hand
I only smoke when I'm down
I'll smoke any brand
Okay, this is it!
No more cigarettes for me
Time for me to quit!
Shattered mirror pieces
in a cold room -
filled with invisible battles
as the heart
searches for warmth
Numb eyes
deepening scratches.
As seconds pass by,
the urge to rest in peace grows,
but own soul refuses to surrender.
A golden light,
from a narrow crack
falling on those broken pieces
reflecting buried dreams,
rising, drifting across the room
like butterflies.
Reborn charm
eradicates the frozen wall,
filling the room
with charming colors of light
that were once lost.
They said he couldn't the path was too steep,
But dreams don't belong to the ones who sleep.
With fire in his heart and a storm in his eyes,
He walked through the shadows, aiming for skies.
A man on a mission, his purpose was deep,
A promise to honor, a vow he would keep.
He stumbled and fell, time after time,
Yet rose ever stronger, with resolve sublime.
He faced the giants, the silence, the flame,
Each scar on his soul whispered his name.
Not driven by praise, nor tempted by gold,
But to honour a story that had to be told.
The spirit within him refused to comply,
It shattered all limits and learned how to fly.
No fear in his voice, no tear in his eye
For even the stars were born in the sky.
a commitment to always do one’s best, often leads them to success
I was only eight
when I caught the calico box crab freight.
Just a small-town crab-boy in tattered britches,
I found my way to fame and riches,
loaded in a crate.
Success is gratitude
For answering people's questions
Including those that were not asked
But implied.
And those unsaid questions, I believe
Are the most important
Artists, who are gifted with answers
On which the life of the perceiver sometimes depends
Receive the success they deserve
Fortunate is the human
Who is blessed with answers
Happy is the artist
Who gives back their gift.
To pass from people’s probing eyes, two cheers,
To pass from all their strident cries, two cheers.
None, merely to kiss the crest of success,
But to stay there and ever wise, two cheers.
___________________________
Epigram | 08.08.2025 | success, test, cheers
Note: Inspired from Kamaal Bhopaali (Urdu):
Nazar nazar mein utarnaa kamaal hai,
Naksa naksa se guzarnaa kamaal hai,
Kaamayaabi par pahuñchnaa kamaal nahiñ,
Kaamayaabi par thaharnaa kamaal hai.
Charisma of a champion
Strength of a Mount Olympus deity
Superstar hero larger than life
A fanclub like no other
A base of faithful devotees
buying into the showman's dream
the illusion
the fantasy
AP: Honorable Mention 2025
Specific Types of Success Poems
Definition | What is Success in Poetry?
Poems Related to Success
prosperity, advance, achievement, win, accomplishment, profit, benefit, victory, gain, realization, progress, happiness, fame, triumph, boom, arrival, hit, savvy, ascendancy, walkover, fruition, sensation, killing, attainment, consummation