Sometimes as humans

We try and try

Over

And over

Sometimes

It works

But sometimes

It doesn’t

Stopping

Will do nothing

Be prepared

For failure

But be prepared

For success

People in your life

Come and go

Like waves 

On the warm sand

You can let them go

But do not 

Fight

Respect

The person they are

And respect

The person they want 

To be without you

If you start

To drift away

And lose grasp

Find people

Try to swim up

Surround yourself

With things

You love

Be involved 

With your life

With your community

With the place you call home

And do not

Let it slip away

some people

Will try to take 

And steal

And bribe

And make you 

stop trying

But you must not

Let these people

Strip away your defenses

And even if they do

Look at evil in the eye

And be determined

Not to destroy

But to fix

To mend

To hope.

To be excellent is different

For everyone

We are all unique

We are all different

But at heart

We are all here

We all try

And even if we don’t

There is someone

Who believes in you

Excellence 

Comes in different shapes

And sizes

But everyone can agree

That when you become

The person you want to be

When you rise

Against all odds

That, my friends,

Is pride.