To calm down, slow down, face the end
To straighten out, to come to rest
To aim for only second best
To sink, or drop, descend or fall
To find the bottom of it all
To never float, or rise again
To dumb the hope and numb the pain
To pay what’s due and clear the debt
To spread the price of terms not set
To clear what’s owed, discharge the cost
And settle for a lifetime lost.
30 comments:
Never looked at it like that....makes me more determined than ever to never "settle".
I like! I won't settle for a poem that does not rhyme.
Cranky Old Man
As always, I love it.
Wow. Nicely done!
Shoot. You've got me thinking...
Pearl
A simple word, gloriously defined.
It's funny how just one small word can get us thinking...
That is so awesome. Your poems are so wonderful. I really love it!
What a scary take on such a simple word. Thought provoking. Thanks.
I think of the word 'settle' and I am reminded of newborns. I was forever trying to help my babies to settle.
Great poem here, thanks, Sharon.
Clever and thought provoking. Thanks Sharon!
"to dumb the hope and numb the pain"
How very, very accurate. I bet you didn't find that in any old dictionary. Excellent work.
What a beautiful poem.
In Northumberland, A Settle is a long stool, usually placed along the wall out of the way, obviously for a place to settle
I am, as ever, unsettled. Nice work. As you know, I'm not one to settle for anything.
Settled and unsettled,
sitting still while the mind does the racing ...
For and against, settle
That word is always on my mnd.
I love your words.
Nice. Thanks!
As your poem shows so skilfully to settle is not necessarily a cop-out.
The sentiments of the first three lines I'm all for - not the fourth.
The second verse is not what I would aspire to.
The sentiments of the first three lines of the final verse are admirable IMO - not the final one.
You get the mind racing Missus.
utterly brilliant.......I am going to send this to a friend!!
Nicely done...thought-provoking counterpoints.
There's always a sadness at the end. I love it.
Many thanks!
I like your beautiful poem, it's very very nice.
I had the feeling of actually physically settling to the bottom of a lake while reading this. Excellent.
Thank you everyone who read this and took the time to leave a comment.
My poems usually get very few comments - so I appreciate every single one of these. And I'm really pleased to see how people have thought about the word settle and its connotations - both positive and negative.
mybabyjohn/Delores - I wish I knew whether I should just call you Delores! Settling is just fine when it's right - and you'll know when it's right!
joeh - thank you. I almost feel a need to respond in rhyme!
Dicky - as always, thank you!
Pearl - thank you. I hope they're nice thoughts...
Nari - too kind, but thank you.
Anne - language is fantastic isn't it? So many interpretations of a single word - it's a great game to play.
Sandra - I'm really pleased you like this - thank you.
The Elephant's Child - it seemed much scarier to me when I wrote this poem - but I'm feeling a bit more sanguine today, so I can see the comforting side of settling as well!
Elisabeth - that's a lovely thought and image - and a great counter balance to my more negative use of the word - thank you.
Sheila - thank you!
Nessa Roo - I could play with a dictionary all day - it's the best possible prompt for a whole range of ideas.
Wally - my beloved is from Hartlepool and he tells me they used to get the 'settle' out every Christmas!
Philip - if ever there was a reason for settling it would be you. But then it wouldn't feel like settling.
Mrs Smith - thank you so much.
Pep Manel - and thank you to you too!
Pat - I'm with you on every one of those!
Young at Heart - goodness me, I hope your friend likes it! And thank you - that's very flattering.
Blissed-out Grandma - thank you.
Bobby - as ever - thank you.
Cle Reveries - hello and welcome to the blog. And thank you for your lovely comment.
Bill - thank you - I think - as long as you weren't sinking into the mud under the weight of it all!
This is beautiful. You should publish poems more often.
Sharon, I have really enjoyed your pieces that I've been able to read. I think you are a terrific talent and I love checking back when I can to see what you're writing about next. With that said, all I'll add about your poem "Settle" is Wow! and I love it! As someone who settled for much of my life and is now trying to change that, this poem really spoke to me. I would love to share it with my facebook friends with proper credit given if that would be okay.
Cindy at explorevirginia.blogspot.com
Nadya - that's very kind of you - thank you.
Cindy - I can't tell you how great it is to think I can write something that other people find a connection with. I'm immensely flattered that you'd want to share this poem - and very happy for you to do so.
Thank you.
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