PROMPT #234 – MOTIVATION: AMBITION

/ Poetic Bloomings

Strive to climb higher and go farther!

We all have an idea where we’d like to be in this life. But how badly do we want to get there? Do you have the ambition to achieve that which you desire? Ambition is a great motivator, but does it come at a cost? Does it tread on the toes of another to get what we want? If we can gain a better place and in the process, lift others up (instead of dumbing everyone down), we can indeed climb higher, go farther, all for the betterment of the human condition. Get fired up, stoke your ambition, and write your poems on how you believe your ambition motivates you!

“BRIGHT AS DAY”

It’s the meaning of her name,
and I claim there is something to it,
as in days of old testament.

But multiple impediments seized her
mind

energy

sight

voice.

Her very soul.

The whole of her,
splintered.

The light of her,
wintered.

But her God is not flawed,
nor silenced.
As her spirit returns
and yearns to be,
I see her flame ignite,
and hope shines
Bright as Day.

© Marie Elena Good, 2019

 

BLIND AMBITION

Call it obsession; compulsion,
a drive that keeps me alive to do what it is
I am meant to do. What I am bound to.
I’ve wanted for so long to belong
to a group of like minded minions
expressing the things that live within us.
Nothing and no one can take that away.
Not a soul can control what I am to do!
There is no obstacle that can stand in
my path paved in my intentions.
Blindly committed to my ambition,
a condition to my compulsion,
my obsession. No roadblock to my success.
 

© Walter J Wojtanik – 2019

81 thoughts on “PROMPT #234 – MOTIVATION: AMBITION”

  1. THE GREAT TASK

    O’Shaughnessy had an ambition
    that some folks would term a life’s mission:
    to become a great priest
    so he could, at the least,
    save his drunken old pals from perdition.

  3. I usually arise in awe, especially on a Sunday, but Walt and Marie, today I awake in astonishment of how your lifeblood flows from your pens. What a lovely morning gift your two poems are.

  4. From the very first Poetic Bloomings prompt, and from the sensitive work of Marie Elena Good, entitled “Of Dandelions and Manicures””

    “One scatters dandelion seeds,
    Who understands a daydream’s needs.”

    MEG

    I think of her often,
    living in a smallish place,
    a friend to so many,
    living vastly flung.
    I choose to think of her
    with a broad smile,
    sometimes a loud laugh,
    at all times huggable.
    I never consider
    the possibility of frowns
    or headaches,
    or any other form of discontent.
    It’s my daydream,
    and I’ll have in it what I want.

    Also from the initial Poetic Bloomings prompt, and from the passionate work of Walt Wojtanik, entitled “A Touch”:

    “It is desire of the highest power.
    It has been left to burn unattended”

    Maestro

    There can be no turning back,
    bridges blown asunder,
    boats all sunk,
    there is only forward in our plans.
    It is not that we are brave,
    simply that there is no choice,
    courage not at issue,
    as the fire rages at our backs.
    We can cure the ills of the world.
    We can.
    We will.
    We must

  5. Eyes on the Masters

    “The Artist always has the masters in his eyes.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

    If I could but learn to incorporate
    a soupçon of what the masters can do,
    if I could have a fragment of their view,
    I’d own my world, and not impersonate
    (what I feel is, at least, to a degree
    the greatness of others who aren’t me.)
    They inform, inspire and help me create
    my art and words I hope will resonate.
    Originality is a strange song
    where answers aren’t only right or wrong.
    To not grow means a risk to just stagnate
    and that’s something I can’t let come to pass
    which tells me I’ve need of a master class.
    So, Ambition, I’m here now. Time won’t wait.

    ###

      • I need to look up this form and give it a go. EXCELLENT work, RJ! So good to have you in our midst … a total master in my way of thinking. ❤ I'm sorry we missed your piece. Not sure why it went to the moderation folder, when you have been here before. It's not "set" to do that.

    • I’ve never heard of this form of sonnet, but I like it, and how you did it. In my opinion, you could teach a master class.

    • Ambitious, yes! Masterful? Indeed. I expect nothing less and am never disappointed! Anyone who rejoined after the reboot was treated like a new entry, so the first poem went into moderation. They shouldn’t get lost after this one. How about some particulars on the form, Randi? I can see it in our future!

      • I found it on The Poets’ Garret (http://www.thepoetsgarret.com), a favorite site of mine for poetic forms. Terry Clitheroe is the owner/moderator and he’s brilliant!

        Anyway, here’s his info on how to write this sonnet:

        Mabini Sonnet

        This is one of the sonnet forms devised by Jose Rizal M. Reyes of the Philippines and it is celebrating Apolinario Mabini y Maranan (July 23 1864 – May 13 1903 who was a Filipino political philosopher and revolutionary who wrote a constitutional plan for the First Philippine Republic, and served as its first prime minister until May 1899.

        The form consists of two, two, three line stanzas and joined by a couplet common to the first two stanza lines and then the last line of the second two stanzas.
        a. b. b. a. c. c… a. a… d. d. a. e. e. a.

  7. My goal: to finish life with flair
    To fight for every word and piece
    To share myself with family
    Until I have no more to spare
    And I can quit my work with peace
    My words will make a tapestry
    But always I have more to say
    Yes, even on my dying day
    I’d better choose another dare
    To live each moment of each day
    To let my lips my love declare
    To hear God’s voice and to obey
    To give myself and always share
    So when my time comes, I’m okay

  8. Marie, your magnificent poem made me pause, and also look up the name. I have a friend named Dana, and much of what you wrote, fits her. Wonderful piece.

    • Thank you so much, Bill. My daughter is actually Deanna, which, when I found it years ago, was said to mean “Bright as Day.” Very close to Dana, for sure.

  10. I see my poems ended up as replies instead of comments. So if you hunt for them you’ll find them, lol.

  11. Mountains and Valleys

    The terrain of my life for as far as I can see
    So many ups and downs wait out in front of me
    Some hills and dips that will be easy to navigate
    It’s the mountains and valleys that cause me to hesitate
    Oh, I could take the easy way
    Put things off for another day
    But what, then, would my spirit say?

    So often the mountaintop is out of my view
    Fog laden
    Snow covered
    Oxygen deprived
    Seemingly impossible

    Yet I start my climb with intent and fire
    Treasures at the top feed my heart’s desire
    Though I might not realize the ultimate goal
    The drive that I feel comes from deep in my soul
    I’m prepared for every climb
    I just hope I have the time
    I will, if it’s in God’s design

    But there’s a disappointment at the mountaintop
    No more up
    One way down
    Valley waits below
    How deep will I fall?

    So many that I’ve known let their valleys win
    They gave up or gave in to the offer of the valley’s sin
    Even knowing the next mountaintop might be their best
    They chose not to make the climb and wallow with the rest
    The valleys will not defeat me
    The mountaintops I must see
    Even if the climb kills me

    © 2019 Earl Parsons

  12. A Different Ambition

    Ambition is a tricky thing –
    Arm outstretched with golden ring

    A prize for you to reach, to catch
    Then suddenly you find it’s snatched

    Away and you are left to try
    For other diamonds in the sky

    And of those diamonds that I see
    I choose the ones that best suit me

    Some kindness and tranquility
    A garden plot, a cup of tea

  13. Pingback: An Act Of Sabotage | purplepeninportland

  15. DIRT ROADS

    The drive
    toward success
    is hardly ever smooth,
    but fresh tires help drivers survive
    duress.

  16. Hi all! RJ’s poem got caught in our moderation folder, for some unexplained reason. It is above, and worth scrolling up to read. RJ is a total master of poetry, IMHO.

  17. Ambition

    I aim to do good and do it well.
    But things aren’t clear as a bell
    My goal’s to excel
    And not fail
    How?

    Lord, I need ambition to propel
    Something in me to compel
    My goal’s to excel
    And not fail
    Now

    So let Your Holy Spirit indwell
    And help me not to rebel
    My goal’s to excel
    And not fail
    Wow!

  18. “Bright as Day” truly inspires and touches something inside. The brilliance of that day lives within you, Marie, and I am glad we’ve found each other’s words at the exact right moment in time. Thank you for all you do!

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