Wonder and Ponder

This poem looks deep into a young man's heart and externalizes many questions troubling his soul.

Wonder and Ponder by Malik Amandla
 

Is education the key to a happy life
Or is it the pursuit of money or a wife
How do I deal with the inevitable daily stress
Do I ask for help or fly solo and do my best
 

What is my purpose on this God created land
Can I focus on myself, would I still be a righteous man
Who will help me beat the odds and persevere
Should I ask my peers, would they even care
 

Will most people really burn for all eternity in hell
Or will they rejoice in heaven with a joyful yell
Should I ostentatiously take pride in everything I do
Or is better to remain humble and socially invisible
 

Why am I criticized so much for being honest and blunt
If the truth sets me free, why am I the prey during the hunt
Should I try to love everyone despite some of their ways
Do I open my arms to people who'll cut me apart like fillets
 

Does everyone face unfavorable odds without exceptions
How do you succeed when there are so many directions
Will I really be strengthened by the troubles I survive
Why is their chaos in my heart like a disturbed hive
 

If I pray and read the bible will God really speak
Where can I find the answers I tenaciously seek
 

Author's Note

I love any and all criticism and compliments. I embrace them to help me become a better writer. Please be direct and honest with me. Thank you.

Reviews

[Blade & Blood (The ..]

Wow, nice pondering. The narrator is such a curious fellow-- in a healthy way, thank God. Excellent poem! It really does reflect the wondering of such adolescence and young adults. Oh! And I totally agree with Margaret; Following your own heart does a life well. ;)

Thank you for such a well-thoughtout poem. ^^

Ironically Yours, Blade and Blood

[Xeru]

This is a great piece that opens up the point of view of a young man trying to live in a world he really doesnt respect. And I really understand your standpoint. I think your array of questioning influenced the answers in the readers mind without giving it. And other questions we still have trouble answering. Great thought provoker and point of view from an intelligent realization. Cant wait to read more.

[Blue Cavalla]

There's some great rhymes in here and some great ideas. My favorite line is;

'If the truth sets free, why am I the prey during the hunt' very nice. A couple of grammatical errors in there but other than that a wonderful poem.

[Lady V]

Well Mr. .............

I love this poem. It says so much about the struggle we go through daily. Who knows why s#!* happens to us or what we are supposed to do about it? Hell I thought being an adult came with some kind of a manual because my mom sure as hell had it together. lol

Great piece. It is short sweet and to the point.

Live, Love an Learn

Lady V

[S.J.Floreen]

I noticed one or two grammatical errors. Other than that it wonderfully portrays the loss and confusion most people feel when dealing with many of the subjects mentioned in the poem, including religion.

[distefano 401]

i liked this. you managed to put many thoughts into one poem while keeping it coherent. and you used good vocabulary, too. this part...
"Should I try to love everyone despite some of their ways
Do I open my arms to people who'll cut me apart like fillets"
was a little hard to read. but other than that, i thought it flowed very nicely, and rhymed well. good job!

[Salvatore Buttaci]

Few can handle these many rhymes as well as you did in this poem. I like it.

Sal

[Margaret Barton-Wahl]

This a great inner dialog. I think that you ARE succeeding by just following your own heart. I like it. ~M~