Say No To Failure

• Personal

I was looking at images tagged “success” and how the amount of them focused on powerful positions and university education was a disgrace really. How to make people feel a failure. As it did me upon reflection.

Three coffees and a tantrum later, I wrote the following poem to highlight that you don’t need such stereotypical typecasts to be successful in life.

Have I failed you?
With my
Average education
No university
No bits of paper
Nothing in a frame
Yet I feel no shame

Have I failed you?
Because
Manual labour
Made me happy
Being with the public
Gave me purpose
And I feel plain happy

Have I failed you?
Life’s ambition
Was a stigmatising one
Which made me proud
Taught me dignity
Though I wasn’t believed
You know the truth

Have I failed you?
I’m a mess
A neurological disaster
A personality disorder
A physical catastrophe
A medicated no-one
Who feels stronger than ever

I’m clever
I’ve done
I’ve been
I’ve seen
I’ve tried

I haven’t failed anyone

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