You Can't Change the World
Motivation for those ensnared by self-doubt
"You can’t change the world"
accept it, they say
It’s too big,
Too scary,
Too many people,
With forked silver tongues.
Too many screens,
All vying for beady eyes.
A sea of darkness,
Ever encroaching.
This blue rock bows
Only to the sun.
What do you have?
A simple story?
A phrase or two?
What are those
Against such monsters?
Against their bombs,
And their guns?
A candle in a tomb.
Wisps in the dark.
A light
where it is refused.
A smile deep in the shelter
When tomorrow is unassured,
A blanket under dark skies
When the cold slithers nigh.
A poem on loss
As a heart beats alone.
A story of a knight,
As the dragons bare their teeth.
Nothing more than wisps,
Tiny threads,
insignificant alone.
Until they are grasped,
And woven,
Thread by thread,
By hand and hand.
Into a blanket,
A basket, bountifully filled,
Or a warm hug, engulfing.
Sanctuary.
Against the cold winds
Of this too-big world.
No,
You can’t change the whole world,
But let your words be the candle.
And without that light,
We will be lost in the dark.
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A/N
This is for all of those who are about to embark on a writing journey in November--know that you have my support. More motivation here if you want it!
If you've enjoyed this, please leave a like and an insight below. If you really enjoyed this, tips to fuel my coffee addiction are always appreciated. All formatting is designed for desktops. You can check out all my works below:
About the Creator
Matthew J. Fromm
Full-time nerd, history enthusiast, and proprietor of arcane knowledge.
Here there be dragons, knights, castles, and quests (plus the occasional dose of absurdity).
I can be reached at [email protected]
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Prologue - The Scourge
There weren't always dragons in the Valley. There should never have been dragons in the Sacred Valley. Those cursed dragons swayed in the calm night wind, swooping and twirling as the sun disappeared beyond the mountains and the twin moons rose over Lurra. May Auras doom you in the afterlife! May you find no salvation there. Their quiet monastery had long been protected from the dragons and horses, swords and spears which descended upon them, destroying his tranquil home with their war.
By Matthew J. FrommExclusive • 2 years ago
Comments (26)
This is beautiful… so inspirational… “You can’t change the world but let your words be the candle.” So true… thanks.💚
I really like this message!
I love it, and it could be applied to so many things 👍
Matthew, this was brilliantly written!!! Love it!!!
Very well said. And anybody that is doing the 50,000 word November can truly use your words for motivation. Congrats on Top Story
A very beautiful sentiment expressed here. Congratulations on achieving a Top Story!
Really nice piece
Keep going
Thank you so much for this lovely piece. It truly resonated with me… looking forward to more stories like this
The light is what we all need. Beautiful and congratulations on Top story ❤️
I very much enjoyed this, it does remind me that November is the month to write. I plan on doing it just not sure if I can hit the target Congratulations
You did a fine job of putting things in perspective here, Matthew. Congratulations on Top Story. My journey into November isn't going to include NaNoWriMo, but it's definitely about writing.
Congratulations on your Inspiring Top Story 📝♥️✌️🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Beautifully said. Congrats on the TS.
Wonderful ideas to inspire. Love it! Great poem Matthew. 😊👍
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I just made another update today on NaNoWriMo...it's going slow but okay for first attempt, but this beauty of a poem just juiced me up further! Thank you, Matthew and well done on a fine Top Story!
Excellent poem. Very inspiring. Enjoyed this part especially. Nothing more than wisps, Tiny threads, insignificant alone. Until they are grasped,
Love this Matthew, great poem and well said. I’m already pumped for NaNo, just a few more hours!
After all, we are the practitioners and the shapers of culture.
very powerful Matthew. Great poem
Yep that time of year again. Good luck on 50,000
"A candle in a tomb" hit me so hard! Idk if you like rap at all, but there's a song by Brockhampton called "Fight" that this poem reminded me of so much, especially that line. The lyrics have always struck me deeply - it's about identity, growth, and the power of the self in breaking cycles. Anyways, thanks as always for sharing your words with us, and for inspiring me. Hopefully this will be my year for breaking my own cycle of inactivity in November!
"This blue rock bows Only to the sun." 😮 Loved this line so much!
Very timely!