Inspirational Poems

By,Brady Montesrin

Dear Joey,I created this digital book of poems for you because you are my best

friend.You've been there for me through thick and thin, when life gets crazy.

You are my cousin and I've seen you work hard with school, work itself, the military and life as well.

I read these poems and thought of you and how much your my inspiration.

I even wrote a few poems as well.This is for you in case you need inspiration to keep driving on.

I hope you enjoy them and share them with your buddies as well.  

Sincerely your cousin,Brady Montesrin

Dedication

“The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost”

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,And sorry I could not travel bothAnd be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I couldTo where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,And having perhaps the better claim

Because it was grassy and wanted wear,Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally layIn leaves no step had trodden black.Oh, I marked the first for another day!Yet knowing how way leads on to wayI doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sighSomewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Classic Poem #1

Explication Essay:

The Road Not Taken is about how the speaker’s life has changed because of one life decision. The speaker in the poem happens to be Robert Frost himself so we get an insight on his life. The occasion of the poem is simply him reflecting at a choice he made early in his life. He clearly was trying to figure out which path in life was right.

There are a lot of figures of speech presented in this poem. “Ages and ages hence” is actually a hyperbole, so is “and that made all the difference”. There are two types of alliteration presented as well; “Wanted wear, worn, to way” and sigh/somewhere. The term wanting wear is a form of personification. The sentence “traveler wishes he could travel both paths” is actually an antithesis.

The tone is positive and slightly depressive. It contains four quatrains with nine syllables and rhyming. Every ending word pretty much rhymes as well. The title symbolism is self-explanatory, talking about what road you took in life. The poem itself makes you realize that you can’t travel more than one road in life.

“The scariest choice, may just

be the best choice every.” -

Joey

“Fire and Ice by Robert Frost”

Some say the world will end in fire,Some say in ice.

From what I've tasted of desireI hold with those who favor fire.

But if it had to perish twice,I think I know enough of hateTo say that for destruction ice

Is also greatAnd would suffice.

Classic Poem #2

Explication Essay:

The poem Fire and Ice has a dramatic situation. The situation is about which way will the world end. Will the world end by fire or ice? The speaker of the poem is the great author Robert Frost himself. He is addressing the question to the reader of the poem. I’m not sure what the occasion is, I think he is just pondering the idea. The subject is bold, it is talking about how both fire and ice would be great destroyers and equal to one another.

There is alliteration in the poem. The forms of alliteration are some/say, world/will, hold, who, favor/fire and many more. The phrase “some say” is an anaphora. “But if it had to perish twice” this is a paradox. As for the tone of the poem I would say it’s serious but casual.

It’s just one stanza and has a rhyme scheme of three units of end rhyme. The title symbolism is simply that it talks about fire and ice. The theme of the poem is that human emotions are like fire and ice; they can destroy the life of civilization. You get mixed ideas as you read this so read it several times.

“Your life can be hard and

disastrous like fire, or be calm

land fun like ice.” - Joey

“Past, Present, Future by Emily Bronte”

Tell me, tell me, smiling child, What the past is like to thee ?

'An Autumn evening soft and mild With a wind that sighs mournfully.’

Tell me, what is the present hour ?

'A green and flowery spray Where a young bird sits gathering its power

To mount and fly away.’

And what is the future, happy one ? 'A sea beneath a cloudless sun ; A mighty, glorious, dazzling sea

Stretching into infinity.’

Classic Poem #3

The poem Past, Present, Future has a dramatic situation. The situation is the author asking a small child about their past. The author decides to ask them about the present tense of their life and the future too. The speaker of course is the author which is Emily Bronte. She is addressing a small child. The occasion must be a time where she was sitting with a child talking about life of some sort.

The subject is getting their perspective on the past that of which might be calm like an autumn evening or sad like the wind sighs. Then they get the opinion and thoughts of the present and the future. Figures of speech is something you find too. I know there is alliteration like “An Autumn”, “with wind” and many more. There is personification as well. The wind his given the aspect of sighing. The tone of the poem is relaxing and curious. The structure is 3 stanzas all quatrains. The rhyme scheme is lines one and lines three rhyme, while lines two and four rhyme. The title symbolism is that she questions the past to the child and then asks them about the present and thinks what the future might look like as well. Symbolism itself is the evenings represent the past being enjoyable while the wind sighing is the time being sad. The present hour symbolizes spring and the little ones getting ready for the future. The future itself symbolizes a romantic sunset. The theme of the poem is just wondering what the emotions were in the past, what they are in the present and what they will be in the future.

Explication Essay:

“Your past shouldn’t effect your present and the present can only make you more

determined to succeed and be happy in your

future.” - Joey

“Success Is Counted Sweetest by Emily Dickinson”

Success is counted sweetestBy those who ne’er succeed.

To comprehend a nectarRequires sorest need.

 Not one of all the purple Host

Who took the Flag todayCan tell the definition

So clear of Victory 

As he defeated – dying – On whose forbidden ear

The distant strains of triumph

Burst agonized and clear !

Classic Poem #4

Emily Dickinson's poem called "Success Is Counted Sweetest was written in 1859 and first published anonymously in the Brooklyn Daily Union on April 27, 1864. The speaker is third person which is the narrator. The subject of the poem is understanding what success really means and there is a lot of figures of speech as well. There is alliteration in lines 1-9. They are success/sweetest, purple host, who/took/today, defeated/dying. There is a paradox in lines 1-2, while at the end there is a syncope which is the word ne'er. The tone of the poem is really unemotional and impersonal at least that is how it seemed to me. As for the structure of the poem is three stanzas all made up of quatrains. The rhyme scheme is abcd and there is no symbolism as far as I noticed. The theme however is those who fail are the ones who understand and enjoy success better. The diction of the poem is people who have success usually want more and the failures are the ones who want it but really understand what it means to win once they lose.

Explication Essay:

“Try and fail, try and fail, it makes

winning more better.”- Joey

“Wages by D.H. Lawrence”

The wages of work is cash. The wages of cash is want more cash.

The wages of want more cash is vicious competition.The wages of vicious competition is – the world we live in.

 The work-cash-want circle is the viciousness circle

that ever turned men into fiends. 

Earning a wage is a prison occupation and a wage-earner is a sort of gaol-bird.

 Earning a salary is a prison overseer’s job

a gaoler instead of a gaol-bird.  

Living on our income is strolling grandly outside the prison    in terror lest you have to go in. And since the work-prison covers

almost every scrap of the living earth, you stroll up and downon a narrow beat, about the same as a prisoner taking exercise.

 This is called universal freedom.

Classic Poem #5

Explication Essay:

The poem Wages has a dramatic situation but that situation is simply the competiveness when it comes to having money in life. The speaker I would say is just the author sir D.H. Lawrence. He is addressing the poem to the readers about the competition in life about money and how it is like a circle of life almost. The occasion is he must be reflecting on his life and how he is with money. Maybe he’s been watching friends, family and strangers and how they act with money as well.

The subject of the poem is simply how money has a consequence of wanting more money. The figures of speech are alliteration. The forms of alliteration are wages/work, wages/work/want. “Earning salary is a prison overseer’s job”, this is a form of a hyperbole. Another hyperbole is “work-prison covers almost every scrap of the living earth”. The tone of the poem is greedy. That is what the poem is about, greed and money. The structure is 5 stanzas; it’s a quatrain, two sentences for the next three stanzas and then another quatrain. The rhyme scheme does really not rhyme actually. The title symbolism is that it is called wages and the poem is talking about how cash as “wages” or rewards and how those rewards pay a price too.

The symbolism in the poem is that cash results into more wages and completion. It is like a prison almost because you work hard just to be punished again practically. The theme of the poem is basically already said. The theme is about money, work, and how having money and keeping it is like a prison. It has a hold on you.

“You have to fight to survive in life and

money is a big part of it. But no matter

how much you have, it’s not real

happiness.” - Joey

Original Poem #1

“Go After Your Dreams”

No one can know the potential,Of a life that is committed to win;

With courage - the challenge it faces,To achieve great success in the end!

So, explore the Dimension of Greatness,And believe that the world CAN be won;

By a mind that is fully committed,KNOWING the task can be done!

Your world has no place for the skeptic,No room for the DOUBTER to stand;

To weaken your firm resolutionThat you CAN EXCEL in this land!

We must have VISION TO SEE our potential,And FAITH TO BELIEVE that we can;

Then COURAGE TO ACT with conviction,To become what GOD MEANT us to be!

So, possess the strength and the courage,To conquer WHATEVER you choose;

It's the person WHO NEVER GETS STARTED,That is destined FOREVER to lose!

Why Added

I included this in my selection simply because it talks about life. I wrote this poem

to get it through to people that you must always go after what you want in life. You cannot just expect things to fall into your

lap. You need to figure out what you want in life and then go for it. This poem is about

what I learned from you. “Don’t let anyone tell you that you

can’t have dreams and that they won’t

come true. Just look at me.” - Joey

“Confused”

sitting in the room,thinking about everything so far,

i am beginning to wonderif life is supposed to be like this;

high on a pedestal one day,

kissing the dirt the next,the balance keeps tiltingfrom the good to the bad;

nobody said life would be easy and simple,but nobody said life can be so hard,

struggling through a hazy cloud of confusion,life seems like the wicked witch of the west,

one hand giving things not asked,while the other not giving things asked,

it’s like taking one step forward,and two steps backward;

disheartened and feeling the blues,the road to happiness seems to be enigmatic,

in this crystal maze of lifethe game goes on until the end;

Original Poem #2

I included this in my selection simply because it makes you wonder about life. I’ve watched you, all my friends and the rest of the family fall. There are times when everyone seems to

be so happy and have the perfect life. The next day we seem to have the worst luck ever.

Life shouldn’t be so hard and it shouldn’t be so easy, but life is confusing and that’s what it does to me. Life itself has a lot of life lessons to be learned and I learned a lot from you.

Why Added

I seen how you were

excited about the

JROTC and the next

day you guys failed

the competition.

“A Letter From  A Solider”

I fight for you everydayFor your safety and freedom far, far awayEveryday I fear that it may be my lastLooking at what was important to me in the past

I choose this life, to fightFor your freedom, your eternal rightIt gets lonely out in this far distant landI have nothing but my gun and boots full of sand

I pray to Jesus each and every nightThat he may shield me from this next fightI live each day with fear of deathI never know when it will be my last breath

"Lets Move Out" says my captainAlways worried about what will happen I get my gear and my gunI ask myself "How much more, before this is done?"

Bullets and RPG's zooming past my headI cant help but fear soon I will be deadEach and every second of life i cherishBecause I never know when I will perish

A sound of gun shots all aroundBodies of young soldiers is all to be foundBombs shattering the buildings apartMirror the pieces that are also my heart

Every dying soldier causes me to trembleAll the soldiers will start to assembleThe greatest gift I can give Is to lay down my life so someone else may live

All those young men who did not come homeAlso left their family and children all aloneI'm here safe and soundNow with my family on my own ground

I pray for my fellow soldiers everydayI ask the lord to reward them for what they had to payShow mercy to all those who fell"lord, they have served their time in hell"

I write this letter to you and to allTo tell you about myself and those who answered the callTogether we will get it done, we America....Are an army of one.

Original Poem #3

I included this in my selection because it is about life and the military. I wrote this

because you are my hero. You lived life here and it was hard. You took punches for all of

us. I see how you wanted to change your life and you did it by joining the army. Each day you’re over in Iraq fighting for our country. You rather better your life so you can risk it

just so someone like me can live free and for another day. You truly are my hero.

Why Added

You had a hard life and

you made it better. I learned that while in

Iraq your just as scared but your ding

what you feel is right

and it’s your dream.

“A Friend”  A friend is like a mirror in lifeHe or she must be trustworthyThat no heart gets brokenA friend is the companyThat exists in times of lonelinessA friend is the standing wallThat one leans by when the time is dueSo make a friend with your conscienceBecause the eye may mislead A friend shall surely be in needThat's why we must always be in deedFriendships lasts at the absence of greedA friend is a very wonderful gift of lifeIt's the tool that can change our livesEither for good or still for badSome friends are dangerous, others are seriousSo though we verily need friends in life?We still also have to be careful 

Original Poem #4

You are my one and only friendThe one I treasures the mostTrust me, not for a dine on the tableOr for the fame at the very top,Shall I ever betray you.Because I really want to be a friendOne to lean on in times of needA special gift of life!And one of the best things one can ever be, That's what friends are all about.

I included this in my selection because everyone deserves a friend. You have been my best friend all through my life through thick and thin. I’ve been able to trust you my whole entire life. We

need one another in order to survive another day of not knowing what is going to happen. I wouldn’t

trade you in my dear cousin for anything in this world.

Why Added

You helped me with

school, with

working, with

everything.

Hanging out with

you was fun.

“Life Smiles Like A Sunshine”

A laugh as it adds curve to your face…dispels the gloom and a sunshine to bea fresh morning dewtip of the peak with enlightened lightshimmer and sparkle and light like paradise to bedriving the clouds away…a smile that strengthens the soul….a whisper so pure gladdens the heartsan unseen courage yet felt so strong….a life full of laughter cheering the folks around…a music in my earsthat still lingers in my heartand the melody where my heart hears itthe ills of life depart…surrounded by smiles…a happy feeling to bea sunrise forever at the horizon of my smile forever i seenothing but just a little curve…adding life to meand singing the music..oh what a beautiful life oh theesugar sweet living with drops of honeyand sweeter then the life gets to meembracing the beauty and the warmth of this life….i welcome you oh sunshineshining bright forever to me

Original Poem #5

I included this in my selection because everyone needs a reason to smile. It’s the smallest things in life that make us smile. The sunshine’s each day

we live it. I was sitting by the river when I realized that the mountain next to me reminded me of hanging out with you and the guys. We were

happy just joking around before you and them all went off to the military and started your lives. I thought this one might make you smile while

you’re in Iraq and you might find some good in the bad things you see.

Why Added

Hanging out playing

basketball and football

was a blast. It’s lonely

not having you around

while in Iraq, but I look

back on these days and it

makes me smile, and you should too.

Biography

• "Fire and Ice." By Robert Frost : The Poetry Foundation. Web. 06 May 2012. <http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/173527>.

• "Past Present Future." Poets Graves. 2003. Web. 06 May 2012. <http://www.poetsgraves.co.uk/Classic%20Poems/Bronte/Past%20Present%20Future.htm>.

• "The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost." The Road Not Taken- Poets.org - Poetry, Poems, Bios & More. Web. 06 May 2012. <http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15717>.

• "Success Is Counted Sweetest." By Emily Dickinson : The Poetry Foundation. Web. 06 May 2012. <http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/174990>.

• "Wages." Poets Graves. 2003. Web. 06 May 2012. <http://www.poetsgraves.co.uk/Classic%20Poems/Lawrence/wages.htm>.

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS BOOK

OF POETRY