Reassuring Limericks about Challenges and Obstacles

Contrary to what you may have been led to believe, the life of a poet is not all glamour and glory. And for one who specializes in metaphysical limericks, the challenges can sometimes seem insurmountable.

But poets aren’t the only ones who encounter obstacles. Parents, carpenters and anesthesiologists run into their fair share of difficulties as well. But as Friedrich Nietzsche said in the Twilight of the Idols, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

So the next time you find yourself floating downstream in the wrong direction, try to bear the following morsels of wisdom in mind.

     Roadblocks 
     When you stumble on boulders that nudge you astray
     Don’t simply spurn them and roll them away
               Although they deride you
               They also can guide you
     The detour itself may in fact be the way

     Bend Down Low 
     From pressure and time the foundations are crumbling
     Started out running but suddenly stumbling
               No other way
               But to bend down and pray
     Though the act of submission is frightfully humbling

     Judge Not 
     No matter how lowly a creature may sink
     Into the swamp of corruption and stink
               Don’t rush to take sides
               For the line that divides
     Is probably thinner than most of us think

     An Empty Wound
     Ten years passing, the loss of another
     The father of two (myself and my brother)
               I barely can register
               The emotional expenditure
     I honestly think I might never recover

     The Prodigal Son 
     From out of the bosom of Fortune’s good graces
     And into the dark and most desolate places
               Where everyman fails
               The hero prevails  
     And rises above every challenge he faces

     Dwindle, Dwindle, Little Star
     Some days it seems there’s no light in the lantern
     Our vision is clouded by shadows of Saturn
               Your dreams they grow cold 
               When you do what you’re told
     So many submit to this archetypal pattern

Further Reading

If you liked these limericks about challenges and obstacles, you’ll be sure to enjoy:

• Limericks about Darkness and Sorrow
• Limericks about the Flood
• Limericks about the Divided Psyche
• 8 Common questions about limericks