I belong to a 50+-strong family Whatsapp group. Every so often, one of my cousins shares an article that’s inspiring and thought-provoking. The last 2 lines of this poem were taken from one such article shared by my cousin, Theo. I’ve added it to my up-coming poetry chapbook, Smiles Under Pillows. and I’m very grateful to have received such a wonderful snippet of encouragement. (Thanks, Cuz!)
How do you move forward with the positive and the negative
….not allowing ‘the bad’ to dominate the future
but taking the good along?
How do you live with those things you have
but not the things you want?
There are no easy answers….
But brokenness
is part of strength
So we’ll go with this, shall we?: ….
….’even broken crayons
can add colour to life’
©Vivian Zems
Poets United– Midweek Motif-Poems to weather uncertain times
Smell The Coffee 
July 3, 2019 at 9:21 pm
Nice writing and nice cousin. Wise last lines.
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July 4, 2019 at 3:09 am
Thanks Myrna!
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July 3, 2019 at 10:29 pm
Such a good philosophy in this poem.
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July 4, 2019 at 3:09 am
Thanks Sherry!
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July 4, 2019 at 1:06 am
.”even broken crayons
can add colour to life’”
Luv this inspirational line. Thanks for dropping by my blog to read mine
Much🕊❤🕊love
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July 4, 2019 at 3:08 am
Thank you…and my pleasure 🙂
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July 4, 2019 at 2:11 am
This is AMAZING! Love the direction that went in with this piece. The writing is s-o-o-o good …. and that close ~ Woozers ~
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July 4, 2019 at 3:06 am
Thanks Wendy!
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July 4, 2019 at 4:23 am
You are so right Vivian as it is a trap of course to rely on extras in life when you can exist without. Sadly millionaires are pleased we want new things, different tastes, colours and styles. This is not to please us but only to enrich themselves. Sadly we have been falling into this trap for years now and we are their slaves. My home is a bit messy now because I won’t throw things out!
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July 4, 2019 at 5:26 am
“But brokenness
is part of strength”….No doubt about it.
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July 4, 2019 at 5:43 am
Even broken crayons can add colour to life.
Great lines. You know you have won when eating a three minute boiled egg with toast looking at a blue sky gives you more pleasure than driving a Merc. Enjoyed this poem.
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July 4, 2019 at 5:54 am
Yes indeed, they do!
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July 4, 2019 at 12:28 pm
This is absolutely lovely, Vivian!! ❤️ “even broken crayons can add colour to life,” I love that! 😀 Thank you so much for writing to the prompt!
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July 4, 2019 at 7:51 pm
Thank you 🙏🏾- and my pleasure 😊
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July 4, 2019 at 7:42 pm
The reality is that at some level we do change with every breath we take, we just don’t tend to notice. And that’s the thing with change, ‘Change’ happens very slowly then all at once. …inspiring linesI
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July 4, 2019 at 7:51 pm
Thank you 🙏🏾
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July 4, 2019 at 8:31 pm
I love this Vivian; what a beautiful snippet of wisdom.
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July 5, 2019 at 5:00 am
Thanks Linda 🙂
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July 5, 2019 at 12:04 am
Oh yes, brilliant quote from your cuz – and you’ve showcased it beautifully with the context you give it.
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July 5, 2019 at 5:01 am
Thanks Rosemary!
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July 5, 2019 at 7:59 am
I love this, Viv – I was one of those children who only ever had broken crayons.
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July 5, 2019 at 8:55 am
That first question in your poem is so so important. How do move forward with both? And the last 2 lines from your cousin are really powerful. And brokenness is part of strength, indeed.
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July 17, 2019 at 9:29 pm
Thanks Khaya!
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