When the road you're trudging seems all up hill,

        When the funds are low, and the debts are high,

        And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

        When care is pressing you down a bit,

        Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

        Life is queer with its twists and turns,

        As everyone of us sometimes learns,

        And many a failure turns about,

        When he might have won had he stuck it out.

        Don't give up though the pace seems slow,

        You may succeed with another blow.  

        Often the goal is nearer than it seems

       To a faint and faltering person

       Often the struggler has given up

       When they might have captured the victor’s cup

       And they learned too late when the night came down

       How close they were to the golden crown

        Success is failure turned inside out,

        The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,

        And you can never tell how close you are,

        It may be near when it seems so far,

        So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit,

        It's when things seem worse,

        That you must not quit.

                                                        Kristone  

                              The Blackness

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is strange with it's twist and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a fellow turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out,
So don't give up though the pace seems slow,
You may succeed you just never know.

Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
And the darkness hovers and weighs on him,
He cannot see in the light so dim,
And he learned too late when the night came down,
How close he was to world renown.

Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
How close you are you can never tell,
When the blackness has cast it's ugly spell,
So stick to the fight when hardest hit,
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

Joe David Harrison

The poem above is actually not just about perseverance.  It is actually about suicide.   The message really was:  "Don't quit on life, even when in the darkest of times."

Copyright © 1999 by Joe David Harrison