Of course, there are some great inspirational poems. 'If' by Rudyard Kipling is one of the most notable, of course.I have also included Robert Frost's 'The Road not Taken' in this blog a while back. One of my all-time favourites is by Dr. Seuss (did you know he was a career counsellor! - so I am not the first career counsellor-poet, oh well) - do you know which one I am talking about?
'Oh, the Places You'll Go' is perhaps the ultimate career counsellor's poem. I gave my eldest daughter a copy when she graduated from secondary school, and she has gone many places, physically and metaphorically. Dr. Seuss would be proud of her. I didn't give my second daughter a copy because I knew she wouldn't read it, but I encouraged her nonetheless and she has already been to 28 countries (and she just turned 26!).
So I should have been finishing one of the many books I want to have ready for publishing, but instead I was inspired to write this poem through a conversation with a friend. I wrote it quickly - which I am coming to think is the best way to write a poem. My friend has had a tough time lately and is not coping too well just at the moment, so this one is for you Deidre. I used to worry about rushing off a poem in an hour or so, but was delighted to find out that John Keats, another of my poet-heroes, said 'Let a poem come easily, or let it come not at all' (I think I have said this before!!)
So here is the poem. It is a tribute to my muse and mentor who speaks to me from the grave - thank you Dr Seuss! I hope it inspires someone - if it inspires you, let me know!
Things to do when you are feeling blue
You’re stuck in
a haze and your mind’s in a daze
You’re feeling
quite blue and you don’t know what to do
There’s no
future in store, no direction that’s sure
That’s OK - now’s
the time to find you – let’s explore.
There’s a
thousand things that you can do if you try
But you don’t
have the get up and go. Why oh why
Are you still
sitting there in your funk, it’s no lie
That it all starts
with you starting something. So fly
In your mind to
a wonderful place
Where the world’s
full of sunshine and roses and grace
Where you do
what you like and you like what you do
Yes you can! It’s
all there and waiting for you
To get firm,
tell yourself to get out of your funk
Cleanse your
mind from that meaningless negative junk.
But you can’t
do it here, looking at the four walls,
There’s a step
you must take, NOW, and acknowledge the calls
Of the things
you can do to stop feeling so blue!
Take a walk in
the park, that’s the least you can do.
Have some music
to brighten each step on the way
Take a book or just
stay there and watch the kids play.
If you wish you
can take a friend’s dog, that’s all good
Throw a stick
so he runs and comes back with the wood.
You’ll feel
better with air in your lungs, you’ll soon find
That you’re
wondering what to do next - that’s no
grind!
Take a look up
the road, there’s some things you can do
They stare you
in the face, they’re just waiting for you.
There’s a place
where old people just sit, sit, sit, sit!
You could read
them a story, or the news, for a bit.
Is it culture
you need? View some art, have a feed
Try a library
for books that you’ve wanted to read
But never had
time, (but you do have right now)
Or a movie that’s
new, or a live band or show.
Do you want to
indulge? Have afternoon tea
Or get your nails
done, book a massage or see
About tasting
the latest wines and some cheese,
Buy some nice clothes or shoes, just yourself to please.
There are
thousands and thousands of things more to do
To give you a
lift and stop feeling so blue
So get out of
that place and you’ll soon start to face
One or two of
those things and you’re back in the race!
©Julie
Farthing, 2013
