“Happiness never decreases when shared.”  — Buddha

“If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” — Mother Teresa

“Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.” ― William Shakespeare

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. ” — Steve Jobs

“At times you have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover is yourself. ” — Alan Alda

Seemingly simple words of advice. Quotes full of cliche? In my opinion, they are precious gems polished from the pain of disappointment, regrets and mistakes tumbled into treasures of wisdom. They are life’s lessons. We each have our own. We don’t have to be famous to share them, so let’s do just that, shall we?

This is Michelle from mishunderstood.com, happy to be your host. Consider this a “sequel”, if you will to my last poetic prompt, “I Am Learning Still”. For today’s Poetics, I am asking you to poem your own words of advice. Share your knowledge. What is one thing (or more) that you have learned that you feel could change another life? Well at least improve it. Imagine if we knew then what we knew now. Some of us who are older….ahem….more seasoned may have some valuable information to offer. However, age is only one variable. There are many enlightened young souls who frequent our pub and I think we have much to learn from them. Here’s to life lessons!

I leave you with two poems for inspiration.

Life’s Harmonies

by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Let no man pray that he know not sorrow,
Let no soul ask to be free from pain,
For the gall of to-day is the sweet of to-morrow,
And the moment’s loss is the lifetime’s gain.

Through want of a thing does its worth redouble,
Through hunger’s pangs does the feast content,
And only the heart that has harbored trouble,
Can fully rejoice when joy is sent.

Let no man shrink from the bitter tonics
Of grief, and yearning, and need, and strife,
For the rarest chords in the soul’s harmonies,
Are found in the minor strains of life.

Love After Love

by Derek Walcott

The time will come
when, with elation,
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror,
and each will smile at the other’s welcome,

And say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was yourself.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you

all your life, whom you ignored
for another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,

the photographs, the desperate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life.

How to join in:

• Write a poem related to the prompt and post it on your blog.
• Click on Mr. Linky below. Add your name, URL and click on the acceptance of Privacy Policies.
• Stop into the pub to say hello.
• Read and comment on the poems posted each day for this prompt.
• Have fun!

Image credit: pixabay.com