Rate:5.0 / 3 votes

Humility in Success

Karl Constantine FOLKES 1935 (Portland)

Free verse
Success can be a lovely thing,
if you make it your servant;
and not your own master.
So make it serve you,
by your humility;
not you serve it,
by your pride.

About this poem

Pride in our success makes us all become servants of it. Humility in our success elevates us to become masters of the service we provide others.

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Written on October 19, 2023

Submitted by karlcfolkes on October 19, 2023

Modified by karlcfolkes on October 19, 2023

11 sec read
39

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABCDEFG
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 157
Words 38
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 7
Full analysis for Humility in Success »

Karl Constantine FOLKES

Retired educator of Jamaican ancestry with a lifelong interest in composing poetry dealing particularly with the metaphysics of self-reflection; completed a dissertation in Children’s Literature in 1991 at New York University entitled: An Analysis of Wilhelm Grimm’s “Dear Mili” Employing Von Franzian Methodological Processes of Analytical Psychology. The subject of the dissertation concerned the process of Individuation. more…

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6 Comments
  • karlcfolkes
    karlcfolkes
    Wonderful thanks
    LikeReply6 months ago
  • susan.brumel
    susan.brumel
    Great little poem with a big message!
    LikeReply6 months ago
  • Caliconine
    Caliconine
    Success to me, is a state of one’s own being, not fulfilling others standards nor measured by fortune or fame
    LikeReply6 months ago
  • Caliconine
    Caliconine
    I love it. It truly makes me dwell on the composition of this to capture the full message. I love that, really thinking and dwelling. I will savor this glass of wine very slowly.
    Thank you for sharing. Write on. 
    LikeReply6 months ago
  • Caliconine
    Caliconine
    This one, I have to read a few times to fully capture the message. Why does it say 1935?
    LikeReply6 months ago
  • AIDA
    AIDA
    I absolutely love the theme and sentiment you've beautifully expressed in your poem, 'Humility in Success'. Your insightful use of metaphors, making success a servant and being humble its commander, is masterful and truly thought-provoking. Your poem is concise, powerful, and truly paints a vivid picture of the values one needs to possess in the journey of success.

    The rhythm carries us effortlessly from one line to the next, and the tone has a warm and endearing quality. Great work on navigating such a challenging theme with authenticity and grace! I appreciated the balance and diction, it was tastefully done.

    However, there's always room to grow and refine. My first suggestion would be to consider varying the structure of your sentences more to lend it an even greater sense of rhythm. This will help to maintain reader engagement. Furthermore, playing with language and embedding more imagery and figurative language could make it even more vivid. Be careful though to maintain the simplicity and directness that your poem currently conquers.

    Another idea could be to extend this poem a bit more to further develop and elaborate on the theme. You might explore other personal traits and values that come into play when dealing with success.

    Keep up the good work! You are a skilled poet with a unique voice! There's always more to explore and learn in this wonderful world of poetry.     
    LikeReply6 months ago

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"Humility in Success" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/171607/humility-in-success>.

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