Today I received an email from a member of Story Circle Network, Sheila Allee, who wrote the following:

Hi, Len. I love the poem you wrote about doing what needs to be done. Do you mind if I share it with my weekly newsletter subscribers? I have 700 subscribers and I think they would benefit as I have from your wisdom and writing.

Well, of course, I wrote back and said I’d be delighted if she shared my poem.

What makes this email special to me is that I don’t see myself as much of a poet. I want to be more of a poet, but often feel that I’m fighting an uphill battle. Surely other writers come to poetry more naturally. Surely they have a more innate ability to express themselves with lyricism and layers of nuance. I, on the other hand, have no idea what I’m doing half the time and the other half, well, I just get a bit lucky on the page.

So, I am holding this request close to my heart. Perhaps I’m making some headway in the poetry department. At the very least, I have touched one person enough with my poem for her to request sharing it with others. That makes me exceedingly happy.

Thank you, Sheila, for giving me a poetry boost today!

Here’s the poem:

Do what needs to be done

Big and small
Easy and hard
Tackling tasks in 
Whatever time they take

Understanding 
Life has a rhythm and a pace
An ebb and a flow like
Waves lapping the shore

My job is to
Stay focused and  
Do what needs to be done
A little every day

No race, no rush
No medal to win
Just choose a task and 
Do what needs to be done