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Poems inspired by The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff

The Great Nothing 

by Nadean Ismail

How do you do nothing?

Listening

Things you can’t hear

Not bothering

No answer

Confused

Have no thought

Have no effort

Follow no point

Follow no road

Finding Peace

The key unlocks wisdom, happiness, and truth

Nothing is something

The Great Nothing 

Welcome to Society

by Emma Britt

Welcome to Society

Where the world keeps rushing past

‘Just keep going’ they say, 

‘No time to waste’ they say. 

Life’s motto consists of ‘be successful and live a great life’ 

But is that what it really means?

Does living a great life mean stressing about everything

Not wasting time, cramming in extra work,

 believing that a great life sits ahead of the worry?

Clinging onto the belief that by shoving extra work in our faces,

We will be successful and live a great life. 

But what if that’s not what I want my life to be?

What if the time we spent building the walls of this ‘success’ 

Isn’t even what we want? 

We always keep moving without a second thought

Taking life for granted

Because we think we have enough time.

But when we wake up a realize that we haven’t even appreciated everything,

Because we were so busy worrying.

‘No time to waste’,

But time is just speeding by.

When I truly let myself disappear into my own thoughts

And let the wind whisper in my ear

And ask myself what I truly want,

I can’t even answer. 

How do I know what I want,

When they keep telling me what is best for me?

Everyone is so caught up in the idea that

We have to worry about our future

That we forget to focus on what’s happening right in front of us.

I feel like we always miss the little, yet crucial moments in our lives

Because we can’t even stop to breathe, let alone think. 

The moments where I don’t worry and stress

Feel like the moments where time just stops.

But these moments don’t come by often,

Where I can feel at peace and enjoy life for what it truly is meant to be,

Not the draining and exhausting life. 

So instead of overthinking and exerting ourselves,

We should try to enjoy our simple lives

The way they are supposed to be lived.

Not filling it up with useless work 

That only makes us worry even more than we already need to. 

Because that is the key, the path

To achieving our peace. 

So when I ask myself again

What is my place in society?

What is my calling?

I’m still not sure, 

But when I know what I want to do with my life, 

I will enjoy it and not stress myself.

Because that is how we are supposed to live our lives. 

In Order to Thrive

by Makayla Tucci 

So many people walk this earth,

Believing there is a purpose to all of this.

But deep down inside, 

They know something is missing. 

Waking up for a job they hate, 

Just to make an income,

Believing it is all worth it in the end.

Relieving the same day over and over, 

Hoping for the day to come 

When they can finally start to breathe.

All time does is take away from us, 

It never seems to give.

That is why time must be forgotten,

So that one day life can be looked back on, 

And we can realize that we truly lived. 

We cannot waste our precious time

Searching for something that cannot be found.

We cannot do something for the sake of it.

We must chase opportunities

That might have been missed in the past.

So that we may reflect in the future,

And know that we did not just exist. 

We know that we found our own purpose,

And felt free to savor our lives.

But people often are blinded from themselves, 

Because walking with the crowd seems so much safer. 

People fear exploring themselves and their capabilities, 

Worrying it could end in failure.

But if we never learn to trust ourselves, 

How would we take control of our lives?

We would never get to truly know ourselves,

And self-love is the greatest encounter of all.

Once we discover ourselves, 

And stop experiencing life in black and grey,

We no longer need to look to someone else, 

To show us how we can be more.

When we start to experience life in color,

We see through our eyes, rather than a camera.

Viewing life through lenses,

Cannot make you remember what you felt.

The noises that were surrounding you, 

Or the fresh air hitting your face.

It was nothing but a snapshot of a moment,

Instead of an experience of a lifetime.

So it is time to see with our eyes,

Because we can remember life much better.

When life is viewed through eyes instead of glass,

It comes out the clearest.

The journey of life is nothing but a flower.

We can’t control how fast flowers bloom, 

But we can help the process by nourishing it,

So it can eventually thrive.

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