The tree that never had to fight
For sun and sky and air and light,
That stood out in the open plain
And always got its share of rain,
Never became a forest king
But lived and died a scrubby thing.
The man who never had to toil
To heaven from the common soil,
Who never had to win his share
Of sun and sky and light and air,
Never became a manly man,
But lived and died as he began.
Good timber does not grow in ease;
The stronger wind, the tougher trees;
The farther sky, the greater length;
The more the storm, the more the strength;
By sun and cold, by rain and snows,
In tree or man, good timber grows.
Where thickest stands the forest growth
We find the patriarchs of both;
And they hold converse with the stars
Whose broken branches show the scars
Of many winds and of much strife—
This is the common law of life.
~Douglas Malloch
October 30th, 2009 at 11:28 AM
Such a beautiful poem! The words resonate in my mind even after reading it. Reminds me of the journey of the great heroes whose lives continue to shape world history and continue to affect and touch my life.
“The tree that never had to fight
For sun and sky and air and light,
That stood out in the open plain
And always got its share of rain,
Never became a forest king
But lived and died a scrubby thing.
The man who never had to toil
To heaven from the common soil,
Who never had to win his share
Of sun and sky and light and air,
Never became a manly man,
But lived and died as he began.”
This poem reminds me of the timeless words of Kahlil Gibran, “Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.”
I salute all the real men and women who, amidst the tempest and tragedies of life, were able to take their stand for the honor of their race and Motherland, and soar on wings of eagles as they serve as shining beacons for the next generation.
Mabuhay ang mga Bayani ng mga Bagyo ng Buhay!
October 30th, 2009 at 11:28 PM
haaay…salamat po. this is comforting.
October 31st, 2009 at 07:32 PM
woooow…
It’s really true… Storms can make a person shine his light…
We are made as we are, but storms can make people notice how we are made…
(raisethebrownrace)
November 7th, 2009 at 12:58 PM
haaay! that’s the hard thing to remember sometimes when the storms are actually there.
Pero, all the same it is one of the greatest lessons to learn rin. That we must endure the harshest winds to get to the sunlight.=]
Beautiful poem, made my day.
November 14th, 2009 at 06:19 PM
grabe po! ngayon po na tayo’y may stronger wind, sana’y naging tougher tree tayo. nakakalungkot naman po talaga na hindi iyon ang nangyari. ngunit nakaktuwa narinig naman ng iba ang mensahe ng Diyos at sila’y naging mas malakas pa. tulad ng ating mga bayani, nagkaroon ng hirap at sila’y nakinig sa mensahe kaya naging bayani sila para sa iba.
November 18th, 2009 at 09:25 PM
Wow…Ondoy IS REALLY A GIFT. Out of darkness the heroes emerge. The stories of these heroes are just SO AMAZING that I cried. For me, the heart of a Filipino comes out when others need help. “Whether I’m alone or not, I’m always going to fight to protect the ones who need me. NO MATTER WHAT.” That quote is what I love the most because it is the one that inspires me to dream about SAVING OTHER PEOPLES LIVES. In our family, our motto is “Non nobis solumn” which in english means “Not for ourselves alone.” Do you know what “Not for ourselves alone” means? It means SERVE OTHERS FIRST BEFORE YOURSELF. I’ll keep those quotes in my heart because I want to be inspired to SAVE LIVES…
Salamat Po!:3
~Chanta~
November 18th, 2009 at 09:31 PM
Catch up comment:
I can relate to the quote “Whether I’m alone or not, I’m always going to fight to protect the ones who need me. NO MATTER WHAT” because the quote is telling me that people need me. There is always a place where you are needed. Do you want an example about what I mean by “There is always a place where you are needed?” One example is, if your talent is TEACHING and if you are good at a certain subject go to the people who MOST NEED YOU because that is what your purpose in life is..
Thank You Once again..:3
~Chanta~
November 18th, 2009 at 10:18 PM
Grabe po! The poem really elevated my mind. I love the poem, its a beautiful one.
November 26th, 2009 at 01:21 PM
this org. is very great because we learn so many thigs about our life and what is happening in our country_09
December 14th, 2009 at 03:53 PM
wow!!!
it’s so amazing poem
tindi talaga=)
—bonnavie—-
January 5th, 2010 at 03:56 PM
it is very inspiring…
thank you po for the opportunity of reading this poem..
nakakapagbigay po sya ng idea na dapat kung anuman ang dumating sa ating buhay na pagsubok, we should remember that everything happens for a reason. kaya we should be strong. whatever circumstances that we encounter, we should fight for it dahil wala pong pagsubok at problema na hindi nalulutas..God is in control….
Life is beautiful…
Thank you!!!!!
Mabuhay!!!!!