Everyday, millions are being told that their dream is a waste of time. We are collectively encouraged to follow the mainstream model of success. Go to college, get a safe degree and you won’t be poor. Is it enough though, to just avoid being poor? To the dream-killers, I offer this contributive note:
“Dear Friends”
by Edwin Arlington Robinson
Nor counsel me, nor pity me; nor say
That I am wearing half my life away
For bubble-work that only fools pursue.
And if my bubbles be too small for you,
Blow bigger then your own: the games we play
To fill the frittered minutes of a day,
Good glasses are to read the spirit through.
And some unprofitable scorn resign,
To praise the very thing that he deplores;
So, friends (dear friends), remember, if you will,
The shame I win for singing is all mine,
The gold I miss for dreaming is all yours.
Commentary
In “Dear Friends”, Edwin Arlington Robinson dismisses the importance of mainstream pursuits. He says, if my dreams are not big enough for you, make bigger ones for yourself! As well, he states, if my dreams are too big, then the shame of my failure is all mine and the opportunities I miss are all yours!
“The shame I win for singing is all mine,
The gold I miss for dreaming is all yours”
For more of Edwin Arlington Robinson’s brilliance, check out “Richard Cory”.