Medalled
Life is a balancing act
of giving and receiving
a volley of serving
and being served
We need to learn to use
misfortune’s winds to sail us forward
jump over each day’s hurdles
without breaking stride
focus on our targets
so that we might hit them
stroke, stroke, stroke
and never stop until the race is done
anticipating the day when our herculean
efforts are rewarded
with gold, silver and bronze
in a variety of shapes and guises
—Violet Nesdoly
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The photo above was our Summer Poem Swap photo for poem #4. That photo plus the games now going on in London inspired my words of homely advice about the game of life that I offer in “Medalled.”
This poem is submitted to Poetry Friday, hosted this week by Rena at On the Way To Somewhere
(Come back next week—August 10th— when I’m hosting Poetry Friday right here!)
Violet Nesdoly 
Very nice, Violet!
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Thanks Diane! I was inspired by your challenge to write an Olympic- or sports-iinspired poem.
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Ah, love those “shapes and guises.” Thanks for sharing – images of the footage I’ve been watching all week drifted in my mind with each stanza.
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Thanks, Robyn! Glad you picked up that last line… because in life, medals come in many ways that aren’t chunks of metal, don’t they?
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Great poem! May I have permission to make a poster of it for my classroom? 🙂
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Thanks so much, Mary Lee! Of course you may use it for a poster. I’m honored.
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Beautiful poem. Next time I’m feeling down I will have to remember to keeping jumping over those hurdles.
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Mary Lee is right — that would make a great poster 🙂
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It’s almost too bad that the Olympics isn’t during school time. To watch and gather inspiration is what it’s about for us viewers, isn’t it? I love that you wrote about our connection to them, what we too can take away from these amazing athletes. Thank you Violet.
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Yes, it is an inspirational poem – I love the way you’ve used the imagery from so many different sports – and good to read it now, watching the Olympics!
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