The unfinished...

"I lay me down upon the shore and dream a little space
i heard the great waves break and roar, the sun was on my face.
my lazy hands and fingers brown played with the pebbles grey,
the waves came up, the waves came down most thundering and gay.
the pebbles, they were smooth and round and warmed upon my hand,
like little people i have found sitting among the sands.
the grains of sand so shining,smooth, soft through my fingers ran,
the sun shone down upon it all and there my dream began"
                                                                                     Unknown
I remember this poem from my primary five English class, we were supposed to memorize it and recite in front of the class. this is actually the beginning of the poem, it was eight stanzas long!
I remember trying to cram it saturday at home and failing, the words jumbled and didnt make one sense! I could feel the teacher's cane already on my hand, I moped around the house sunday and by monday morning, I was among the panicked pupils just waiting to be flogged. but as i stood there waiting for my turn, I picked up my reader one more time and I read the poem to myself, and something strange happened. it was no longer a long jumble of words, it became a story, with rhymes and a pattern. by the time the teacher called me, I had finished reading the first stanza(as seen above!) and i recited it, plainly and clearly. she smiled as I finished the first stanza and asked me to sit down! I was the first one to sit down that morning! I still remember that poem, I didnt read it again after that day, so I dont know what the poet's dream was, but it sounded like a beautiful day! I learnt an important lesson that day, it is simply this:
Just the fact that everyone say its hard doesnt mean it will be hard for you, it might really be easy!
Learn to always look at problems twice, from different perpectives and finally (the most important one)
Finish everything you start! you may end up being like me, with half of a poem haunting me for the rest of my life! Finish, and finish well!
Ciao!
PS: if anyone knows the end of the poem, the missing stanzas, please let me know! mucho gracias!