No one in this world is without struggles. They’re part of growing and learning. In fact, we won’t be able to recognize the sweet smell of success without going through the hard times. You are who you are today because you made it through the ups and downs so be proud of yourself for making it this far! These poems about struggles will remind you to keep on going.
Poems About Struggles
1. I Want to Climb
By: Chana Bitton
Waking up each day
Preparing for the flight
So worried not to lose my grip
So tired of the fight
Holding on with such fear
So tight that I need to calm down
So I loosen my grip to see the sights
Just for a moment, I look at the ground
Such splendor all around me
So much to see and do
I forget about my journey
Now my grip on higher sights is gone
I’ve fallen very low
I look up to where I was before
but I’m too tired to give it a go
But how I yearn to be back to where I was before
Although I can’t see it’s not clear
I remember how I felt while there
My strength layered with fear
It’s too hard to make the climb again
So much easier to stay down
I can see the sights up close now
I see the good in staying down
Yet the longer I stay here
very low to the ground
I have a constant nagging feeling
that I will surely drown
I can’t choose to stay in one place
The laws of gravity push down
and if I don’t actively climb
I will surely drown
So, how do I do this?
I’m tired and out of strength
Every time I make the climb
I fall back to this place
Before I held on with all my strength
I grasped with all my might
But it seems that the tighter I held on
the more quickly I would lose my fight
What’s the answer?
How can I stay high?
How do I keep from slipping
to the bottom and to my demise?
I want to keep climbing
I do I really do.
But I don’t know how to stay above
To keep the climbing new
I want to climb without the fear
I want to feel so free
I want to climb without the stress
without all the strife and worry
I want to enjoy the climb
See the sights, but without looking down
I want to climb towards the King
I want to reach the crown
So please tell me what to do
Help me with this struggle called life
I’m tired of the constant ups and downs
I’m tired of the strife.
2. You Will Never Know
By: Chassy Rosenbaum
Dear friend,
You will never know
At least not in this world
What you did for me
We met but for a brief moment
On that morning
It seemed like an ordinary morning to you
But for me, sorry to say
It was a time of inner turmoil
Of sadness and anguish
It felt like the world was black
With no crack
For the sun to shine through
We passed for a brief moment
But in those mere seconds
You flashed me a smile
A smile so genuine
Full of love and care
Brimming with joy
Powerful enough
To penetrate
Through the film of gloom
And ignite a sparkle
Of happiness
In my weary heart
And when I moved passed you
I felt different
Better, brighter, hopeful
Some positive energy
Stuck with me
A boost to my day
Maybe I should thank you
But I’m shy
And don’t know how to say it
I hope to repay you
By passing on your smile
To someone else in need
And you will never know
At least not in This World
What you accomplished
3. A Survivor’s Old Shack
By: Chasa Rosen
Rusty on the surface
I came back
to your shoemaker’s shop
inside you sit
threading through time
Adding removing
repairing old soles
longing to be tied
to my purpose
I’ll caress your leather skin
kiss your jagged lines
protruding pain
mine is raw like yours
Wrap me tight
beneath your surface
we will build arches
whose height will hold
our losses
Your silence
gives me strength
I cry for our names
to be heard
4. The Bricks
By: Elaine Rosenberg Miller
The bricks of Auschwitz
I cannot go to Auschwitz
I cannot go
The narrow red-brown bricks bar me
The Auschwitz bricks are iconic, immutable
Year after year, decade after decade they stand there, mocking
Witnesses to suffering, death
I cannot go to Auschwitz
I would stand there, immobile, unable to proceed
The bricks would stop me
Hissing, almost silent voices say, we saw everything.
We heard everything
And here we stand
My grandparents, my mother and her sister
After arrival that late spring day, the eldest sister heard that the youngest two were in the camp
She found them, threw treasured food over the fence
The electrified fence.
The fence that so terrified my mother
With its barbed wire and curled finger posts
My mother was fading, fading
Her sister gave her bread
You take it, she said, I’m not hungry.
She could have eaten it with her eyes, my mother later said
The bricks saw the dying bodies, felt the acrid smoke, heard the anguished cries, prayers
And the bricks did nothing
No, I cannot see the bricks
Auschwitz is a vast cemetery
Not a sacred cemetery of honored military heroes or beloved elders
But a cemetery filled with children, mothers, fathers, grandparents, neighbors, ripped from life, untimely dead
Their souls hover above the ash filled ground, stopped only by the impenetrable red-brown bricks
And the bricks say, do not enter here,
And I obey
5. Dear Little One
By: Rochel Levine
You started growing inside of me
I felt you through the sickness
I felt you through my mood
I felt you through my change of appetite
I sensed you through my sensitivity to smells
I sensed you through my happiness
I sensed you
I imagined you
Your face
Your personality
We gave you a name
I saw you when you were 6 weeks old
I saw your heartbeat pumping on the screen
You started to grow
You started your life
I was so happy
I loved you right there and then
I bonded with you
I prayed for you
You were part of me for 12 weeks
Part of my organism
Part of our life
Part of our plan
Part of myself
Then came that day
You stopped breathing
You stopped growing
You are now a lifeless fetus
Partially formed
With a head and a back, I was told
You are still inside of me
You are still part of me
But your heart has stopped beating
I’m sorry they have to take you out of your nest
You won’t feel anything
You might feel lonely, though
You started your life in the same place as Tzviki, Mendy, Dovie and Aryeh,
my womb
You are not meant to develop
You are meant to leave this place of comfort
It is your destiny
You will meet two little souls who have the same destiny as you
Who have also started and finished in the same place as you
You won’t be alone
They will look after you like older siblings look after younger siblings
In the meantime, we will not forget you
We will always remember you
You are part of our life
We won’t be talking about you a lot
But we will not forget you
You are in a place now where you are meant to be
You have left a void in my body
A void in our life
I was lucky to carry you for three months
I just wish G‑d’s plan were different
But I’m sure he has His reasons and He knows what’s best for you and us
We won’t be able to hold you
But you can hold us and keep us strong
From where you are
Love to you from all of us
6. Life Goes On
By: Rochel Levine
Life goes on
I feel better, physically
Emotionally, I am extremely wobbly and vulnerable
I am moving on
Away from this brutal physical experience
Away from this traumatic emotional experience
I do feel lonely
I just wish someone would turn the clock back in time
I wish someone would make it all better for me
I just wish I would adjust to this new situation
As quickly as I got used to being pregnant
But it won’t happen
So
I am going to pick up my boys from school today
For the first time in three weeks
I am going to put makeup on
For the first time in three weeks
I am getting dressed nicely
Ready to act normal, look good
Ready
Ready to put on an act for the world
Ready to project a healthy and happy picture of myself
Ready to embrace the world as I left it three weeks ago
A world which is so oblivious to my open wound
My inner longing
My inner pain
Every step toward normality is taking me away from my loss
Every step into this world is dragging me away from my reality
I don’t want to let go
I want to stay here
I want to stay connected to that Time
Because that time means my unborn child
That time means my shattered dream
But I need to move forward
I need to take baby steps
And take with me my feelings, still raw, still sad
So real, so palpable
I will be the only one aware of them
I will be the only one in touch with them
I will take them with me
They will accompany me for a while
They will be my friends
I will feel their presence
Sometimes more than others
I will welcome them like a good host welcomes the guests
I will look after them
I will let them be
I will let them go with the flow
I will respect them
I won’t allow anyone to hurt them
I will acknowledge them
Till the day when they will become smoother
Calmer
Happier
Replaced with others
Because life goes on
7. G-d Loves Mrs. H.
By: Chana Perman
On Tuesday at 6 PM
I’m home
Fussing over basmati
And humming homework tunes
But when I called the library for renewal
They said no-can-do
Books have been twice renewed
And all are due today
Off I went
Dumping the bulky tomes into oversized shopping bag
Six year old asked to join
First she heard no followed by yes
Upon arriving at library
I realize my phone was left in car
Unlocked car
I march with six year old back to parking lot
To retrieve said phone
I never leave my phone in the car
Most especially not on Tuesday at 6 PM
Parked across street from said library
So we left the library to get the phone
Upon leaving the library
Behold, Mrs. H.
Yes I was rushing
But was with six-year-old
And Mrs. H. is Mommy’s friend
We stopped to say hello
I wondered if she needed a ride home
To which she responded
Yes
To which I replied
G‑d loves you.
And I told Mrs. H. why,
I never go to the library on Tuesday at 6 pm
If I do I don’t take six year old
I never leave my phone in the car
If I do I don’t leave cars unlocked
But I did, and did
And at that moment Mrs. H. appeared
It was a cold day
The perfect day for ride home
Like I said
G‑d loves Mrs. H.
8. Struggle And Pain
by: Maryanne Richards
Why does this way of life
Create so much struggle and pain.
When did this darkness begin,
That I am caught within.
With no way to break away
I can find no place to hide.
Not trying to escape the pain
Takes me deep inside.
On and on, round and round,
The turmoil of sorrow and hurt goes on.
Unable to run away,
One is consumed with pain.
Then from deep inside that tormented cry.
God please help me
Was the end of the slide.
The descent into darkness was broken,
Revealing, there is no I.
9. Time
By: Joe Massocco
Tick tock, tick tock
Life is counting down on your internal clock.
Memories that feel as if they occurred yesterday
turn to flashes of moments that seem to fade away.
People you once knew
walk by without a clue.
The times you once shared
exist as if you were never there.
Years fly, friends die
and you never know when you’ll say your last goodbye.
Oh, how I wish I could turn back time,
spend it with loved ones and cherish what once was mine.
Or to go back even more,
being a kid in a candy store.
How I miss the way I used to feel
on Christmas day when Santa was real.
But back to reality, back to today,
family is scarce and memories continue to fade away.
Tick tock, tick tock
How I wish I could control this clock.
10. Tired
By: Judy Einhorn
I’m tired of listening to the sound of my tears,
Tired of constantly battling my fears,
Tired of struggling with challenges that continuously reappear.
I’m tired of wasting my days submersed in despair,
Tired of words piercing my heart like sharp spears,
Tired of living a life that is one big blear.
I’m tired of pretending while deep inside I care,
Tired of being stuck in toxic relationships and atmospheres,
Tired of hypocrisy and lies in a world full of fakes and veneers.
I’m tired of trying to believe,
Tired of putting up a show,
Tired of battling defeat,
Just tired of feeling this way,
Can I be spared?
11. Purpose
By: Anxhelo Llangozi
Don’t be nervous when finding your purpose.
To simply be alive is just scratching the surface.
As life goes on, you will find out the truth.
Blissful ignorance is only for the youth.
As you get older, you start to wonder
Why am I here? Was it just a blunder?
Whatever your purpose, it is for you to choose,
Because wasting your time wondering is of no use.
12. Short Life Summary
Life and death, without one there cannot be the other.
For some, it’s short, but they live it like no other.
For most, it’s long, and to be happy they don’t ever bother.
Life cannot be lived without the love of others.
The second we are born is the second we begin to die.
As a child, we live life and don’t worry why.
As we grow, it gets tougher and we don’t want to try.
Like everything else, it will end and we’ll have to say goodbye.
Whether it’s twenty years or one hundred twenty,
Live it with a purpose to be greater than many.
Most likely life will be long.
So live it with the future in mind
Because if you act in the moment life is never kind.
13. A Woman’s Struggle
All of these years she tried so hard to leave it behind,
to one day dream that she could be happy without struggling inside.
But nonetheless she still felt bound
by memories she couldn’t lay to rest.
Awaken by her deepest fears, she sits silently in the dark,
abused by her own insecurities, tortured with her tears,
you could feel the pain throbbing in this poor woman’s heart.
Can you feel what she has felt,
A raped soul deprived from happiness?
Do you see what she has seen,
A destroyed woman left with wretchedness?
No, how could you?
Your perception is blurred.
The truth is written all over her body, evidence of what she has endured.
Each scar has its own meaning, a story I should say,
It tells us how she was one slash away from setting herself free.
The day she reached for that red tinted, small piece of metal,
a voice inside her told her to stop and think,
you can do better.
Deep sighs complimented with ease and hope,
her life struggles and sorrows disperse into smoke.
Shame diminished by one’s self pride,
her untold story revealed, but once hidden inside.
She’s a strong woman now, capable of the unthinkable, she’s unstoppable you see,
and I reckon that none of you would have imagined that this woman was me.
14. Life
Life changes in every second
We never know what will happen
We smile
We cry
We win
We lose
It turn around so quickly
That’s why life is a subtly puzzle
Strong wind or friendly breeze
Hard rain and little drizzles
Burning rays of sun or cool moonlight
Add so much wonder to our life
We come
We go
We arrived
And we departure from the world
In this little we live
Amidst birth and death.
15. The Roller Coaster Life
We are just in a whole crazy,
Perplexing roller coaster ride,
When we have problems,
We are at the downside.
But sure, the time will come
When with the sky we’ll collide,
Where the good feelings came
And the pain will subside.
So when the time comes
you are going to fall,
You should always know
That He’s the one to call.
Eventually, you’ll soar up,
The wheels will start to roll,
‘Till you reach the peak,
and You’ll be standing tall.
16. Not Perfect
Don’t let the vague darkness give blindness in your eyes,
Let your heart illuminates both the beauty and the lies.
You won’t last in this life not reading between the lines;
And getting conquered with pain,
With all those hurtful cries.
Life isn’t perfect,
In mind, a thought to keep,
There are times you’ll have no choice
But to pray wind your hands leaped.
Be prepared for surprises for events may quickly flip,
Or else you’ll lose your grip and far away you’ll slip.
17. Life Is Precious
The gracefulness
of a butterfly,
how gentle,
and fragile they seem.
Gently fluttering,
on a calm summer’s day,
floating like,
a dream.
But sadly,
their time is over,
Hardly before it’s begun.
So enjoy
your special moments,
like a butterfly,
in the sun.
18. The Stream of Life
Life the essence of living
to breathe, to nourish, to create,
to exist on a common plain
and known no difference.
What if the world was this simple?
That the greatest life achievement,
The richest reward one could give
was to reap and bestow love.
The water falls from the skies,
nourishes the land, the living growth,
creates a stream creates life.
We bathe in its glory,
we shelter from its harshness,
and sweeten our lips with delight.
We taste of love in the same manner
why do we not dance to the tune so simple
and seek for nothing else?
19. Past, Present, Future
Our past we can’t recapture.
It’s over and it’s done.
No way to recover time;
All those days are gone.
No amount of coloring
painting with bright hue
can change the way things happened.
No way to make it true.
No use fretting over
Regretting bygone days
No need to get entangled
In memory’s purple haze.
Or caught up in unraveling
or, of hoping we could do
things that didn’t go the way
that we would want them to.
The future is uncertain
No way for us to see,
the things that tomorrow’s holding,
for you or for me.
Now is what’s obtainable,
just moments here to share.
The future comes so quickly
unseen but waiting there.
Seize the present moments.
Grab all we can contain,
Our future are elusive.
Our past we cannot chain!
20. Why God gave us friends
God knew that everyone needs
Companionship and cheer,
He knew that people need someone
Whose thoughts are always near.
He knew they need someone kind
To lend a helping hand.
Someone to gladly take the time
To care and understand.
God knew that we all need someone
To share each other’s happy day,
To be a source of courage
When troubles come our way.
Someone to be true to us,
Whether near or far apart.
Someone whose love we’ll always
Hold and treasure in our hearts.
That’s why God gave us friends.
21. Shine
Life is something we all share,
Just like oxygen, in the air.
The way we live it, is up to us,
With a negative or with a plus.
Life is something we should cherish,
We never know when we’ll perish.
Live each and every single day,
Smell the flowers, stop and play.
Life is something we’ve been blessed,
Choice is yours, choose your quest.
Follow your passions, and you’ll be fine,
With the right attitude, you will shine.
22. Paint Your Life
Life is like a piece of art,
It requires lots of heart.
Choose your paint and your brush,
Take your time, avoid the rush.
Before you paint, choose your theme,
Don’t be afraid to follow your dream.
It’s alright to make a mistake.
Your painting is real, it’s not fake.
Look at your painting, don’t be crying,
Begin again, keep on trying.
Your painting is never fully complete,
Enjoy the process, make sure it’s sweet.
23. Live Life To The Fullest
To Follow your heart, and intuition,
That should be your number one mission.
Listen to your inner voice,
Live your life, through your choice.
The point is to love, what you are doing,
Your deepest passions; should be pursuing.
Every moment, live excited,
Every morning, be delighted.
Always look forward to what is ahead,
Your thoughts and wisdom, gracefully spread.
Living life to the fullest, is up to you,
Look in the mirror, always be true.
24. Bumpy Ride
Life has many ups and downs,
Loving smiles and frowns.
Good events and some are bad,
Happy emotions, others mad.
It can be a bumpy ride,
How you handle it, you decide.
25. Life’s Too Short
Life’s too short, to simply waste,
Slow it down, don’t move with haste.
Time is once, you get to spend,
Carefully choose, every friend.
Life’s too short, to change careers,
Choice is yours, they’re your years.
Maybe once, or maybe twice,
Look inside, to find advice.
Life’s too short, to just complain,
Rid negativity from your brain.
Life’s too short, time won’t freeze,
Enjoy it all, won’t you please.
26. Life and Love
Life and love share a bond,
Not through magic, nor a wand.
Each of us, both we need,
Nurture them, like a garden seed.
Life with no love, substance lacks,
To each soul, a heavy tax.
Love with no life, slowly fades,
It may take a few decades.
Life and love, has so much beauty,
We must enjoy them, that’s our duty.
Open our hearts, and freely share,
Life and love, will be very fair.