Jennifro

"It Couldn't Be Done"

(by Edward A. Guest)

OR...

April's looming large for about a million different reasons none of which I desire to go into at the moment--only cause I'm tired--not cause they're secret.  I've been repeating the following poem in my mind over and over cause it gives me a reasonable amount of motivation and determination when I'm on the verge of overwhelmed.  It's one of the the first poems I ever remember memorizing.  I got it from a poetry book my Gma Miller gave me when I was about eight.  She had gone through and starred all the ones she loved.  This one got two stars...and it's come in handy throughout the years....thanks Gram.

Somebody said that it couldn’t be done,

But, he with a chuckle replied

That "maybe it couldn’t," but he would be one

Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.

So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin

On his face. If he worried he hid it.

He started to sing as he tackled the thing

That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

Somebody scoffed: "Oh, you’ll never do that;

At least no one ever has done it";

But he took off his coat and he took off his hat,

And the first thing he knew he’d begun it.

With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,

Without any doubting or quiddit,

He started to sing as he tackled the thing

That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,

There are thousands to prophesy failure;

There are thousands to point out to you one by one,

The dangers that wait to assail you.

But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,

Just take off your coat and go to it;

Just start to sing as you tackle the thing

That "cannot be done," and you’ll do it.

Don't expect I'll be doing much singing 

or grinning--but hey one can always hope....