For today’s prompt, write a what they never tell you poem.
They never tell you that to succeed you have to fail
That’s not true.
They tell you that all time.
You just don’t listen.
Nobody sets out to fail
and if you did
you wouldn’t learn.
The Hero’s Journey
is not win after win after win.
You must bleed.
Leave your faceprint
in the pavement.
Pain is the lesson.
To rise you must first fall.
About Bartholomew Barker
Bartholomew Barker is an organizer of Living Poetry, a collection of poets in the Triangle region of North Carolina where he has hosted a monthly feedback workshop for more than decade. His first poetry collection, Wednesday Night Regular, written in and about strip clubs, was published in 2013. His second, Milkshakes and Chilidogs, a chapbook of food inspired poetry was served in 2017. He was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2021. Born and raised in Ohio, studied in Chicago, he worked in Connecticut for nearly twenty years before moving to Hillsborough where he lives and writes poetry.
Bartholomew Barker, Poet 
pain is the lesson and we don’t listen..
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It took many years but once I got hurt enough, I started listening.
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I don’t think there are any shortcuts to wisdom unfortunately .
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Maybe someday. Probably not though.
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Well done.
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Thanks. It’s kinda cliched. Maybe after April, I’ll try again. (Ha! Guess this is the failure on my way to success.)
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The oxymoron of life itself. :-)
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That was like Revelation for me. Namaste
On Fri, Apr 8, 2022 at 5:22 PM Bartholomew Barker, Poet wrote:
> Bartholomew Barker posted: ” They never tell you that to succeed you have > to fail That’s not true.They tell you that all time.You just don’t listen. > Nobody sets out to failand if you didyou wouldn’t learn. The Hero’s > Journeyis not win after win after win.You must bleed.” >
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Of course, love “leave your faceprint in the pavement.” “you must bleed” love that!!
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Thanks!
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Yes. This.
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Wow. Thanks.
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Yes indeed Bart
“All the mountains have been climbed
All the climbers have had their failures
Before they finally reached the summit”
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Agreed.
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Try. Fail. Try again. Fail better.
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Rinse. Repeat.
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😂
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