The Men That Don't Fit In (Robert Service)

This forum is for poems that are in tribute to an event, tragedy, person, etc. Subforums are memorials to PoetryPages members who have crossed the rainbow bridge.

Moderator: moonflower

Forum rules
This forum is for poems that are in tribute to an event, tragedy, person, etc.
This forum does not autoprune.
Post Reply
User avatar
Eternum 1
Black Ferret Poet
Posts: 2112
Joined: Fri Apr 22, 2005 12:59 am
Location: British Columbia
Contact:

The Men That Don't Fit In (Robert Service)

Post by Eternum 1 » Mon Sep 18, 2006 4:09 am

There's a race of men that don't fit in,

A race that can't stay still;

So they break the hearts of kith and kin,

And they roam the world at will.

They range the field and they rove the flood,

And they climb the mountain's crest;

Theirs is the curse of the gypsy blood,

And they don't know how to rest.



If they just went straight they might go far;

They are strong and brave and true;

But they're always tired of the things that are,

And they want the strange and new.

They say: "Could I find my proper groove,

What a deep mark I would make!"

So they chop and change, and each fresh move

Is only a fresh mistake.



And each forgets, as he strips and runs

With a brilliant, fitful pace,

It's the steady, quiet, plodding ones

Who win in the lifelong race.

And each forgets that his youth has fled,

Forgets that his prime is past,

Till he stands one day, with a hope that's dead,

In the glare of the truth at last.



He has failed, he has failed; he has missed his chance;

He has just done things by half.

Life's been a jolly good joke on him,

And now is the time to laugh.

Ha, ha! He is one of the Legion Lost;

He was never meant to win;

He's a rolling stone, and it's bred in the bone;

He's a man who won't fit in.
Image

***********************

User avatar
bags123
Insufferable Crouton
Posts: 4700
Joined: Sun Feb 10, 2002 12:01 am
Location: Upstate

Post by bags123 » Mon Sep 18, 2006 8:14 pm

I love Robert Service, and this is also one of my favorites.
I prefer to keep an open mind,....but not so much that my brains fall out.- Carl Sagan
Your brain is like an umbrella. It only works when it's open- Someone Smart


Poet of the Month
March 2011

User avatar
heinzs
The Fat Cat
Posts: 8419
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2001 12:01 am
Tag line: Do no harm
Location: Novato, CA
Contact:

Post by heinzs » Sun Nov 26, 2006 11:25 am

:cool:
**************************************
An' it harm none, do what ye will. Blessed Be.
Image
***************************************
My Poet's Page Archive | Topics I've started

User avatar
4rum

Post by 4rum » Sat Dec 16, 2006 1:49 am

This is a great poem with rhythm and substance. It reads very well and the message is clear. It's written with much insight into the psyche of men who search, but glory never finds them.

christina
Clearwater Poet
Posts: 44
Joined: Sat Aug 12, 2006 4:41 pm

Post by christina » Sat Dec 16, 2006 2:58 pm

"
But they're always tired of the things that are."
Delightful to read, all of it

Christina.

User avatar
JGarrison
Babbling Brook Poet
Posts: 363
Joined: Wed Apr 20, 2005 6:00 pm
Location: Poulsbo, WA
Contact:

Re: The Men That Don't Fit In (Robert Service)

Post by JGarrison » Tue Apr 22, 2008 4:49 pm

i can remember my dad reading service to me as a little kid, so now everytime i read it it gives me goosebumps... also having lived in alaska i can honestly say the service's descriptions of the state and its denizens are still spot on... :cool:
“What’s in store for me in the direction I don’t take?”

-Jack Kerouac-

User avatar
bags123
Insufferable Crouton
Posts: 4700
Joined: Sun Feb 10, 2002 12:01 am
Location: Upstate

Re: The Men That Don't Fit In (Robert Service)

Post by bags123 » Tue Apr 22, 2008 6:20 pm

:cheers: Great poem.
I prefer to keep an open mind,....but not so much that my brains fall out.- Carl Sagan
Your brain is like an umbrella. It only works when it's open- Someone Smart


Poet of the Month
March 2011

User avatar
nrip4life
prophet poet
Posts: 260
Joined: Fri Jul 16, 2004 11:20 am
Location: Inside the outside
Contact:

Re: The Men That Don't Fit In (Robert Service)

Post by nrip4life » Fri Apr 25, 2008 2:17 am

:bow: :thumbsup: :bump: a feeling few "know" well....yet so many "well" know..lol thanks for sharing
Old too soon, smart too late....-anonymous

Image

poeticpiers
Forever Silent Friend
Posts: 766
Joined: Sat Aug 09, 2008 2:08 pm
Location: Near Durham City UK
Contact:

Re: The Men That Don't Fit In (Robert Service)

Post by poeticpiers » Mon Sep 08, 2008 3:52 am

Robert Service is a favourite of mine but I disagree with his conclusions It is the men who don't fit in who lead the way to better things.Traditions dead hand slows down progress all too often. Dare to be different
Poet of the Month
May, 2011

User avatar
Tom Watson
Forever Silent Friend
Posts: 1336
Joined: Sun Dec 01, 2002 12:01 am
Location: Novato, CA USA
Contact:

Re: The Men That Don't Fit In (Robert Service)

Post by Tom Watson » Sun Oct 05, 2008 12:47 pm

Nice poem. I am not familiar with Robert Service, though this appears a good tribute to the man.
It, however, does not fit in with this forum really and would suggest moving it to the Tributes forum.

Tom
Image
"Whispers of Love" a book of poetry expressing love of the heart and spirit is released worldwide on August 11, 2009. Visit my home page at
Books From Grace for more information or Amazon.com

User avatar
moonflower
enchanted by the magic
Posts: 2190
Joined: Sun Mar 24, 2002 12:01 am
Location: longview tx

Re: The Men That Don't Fit In (Robert Service)

Post by moonflower » Fri Apr 02, 2010 11:02 am

i dont know of Robert Service but i like this poem very much!.. :thumbsup:
inside each soul there is music...let the music play..

visit my poets page

Image

User avatar
LeoOuye

Re: The Men That Don't Fit In (Robert Service)

Post by LeoOuye » Fri Nov 05, 2010 3:18 am

I love this poem. In a way there's lines in it that remind me of me.

If they just went straight they might go far;

I used to often lose interest in things even if they were going well. Not any more though.

I expect most people see parts in this poem that fit in with their lives and that's why it's such a good poem.


reverse phone detective | magic of making up

User avatar
SamIAm
Seafoam Poet
Posts: 205
Joined: Tue Oct 21, 2003 3:13 pm
Location: Wherever you find me

Re: The Men That Don't Fit In (Robert Service)

Post by SamIAm » Fri Jul 29, 2011 3:37 pm

Wow! All I can say is, Wow! At first i could have sworn you were talking about me. :bow:
My Youtube Channel - Go ahead, call me crazy.
http://www.youtube.com/user/Yapshire

User avatar
Eternum 1
Black Ferret Poet
Posts: 2112
Joined: Fri Apr 22, 2005 12:59 am
Location: British Columbia
Contact:

Re: The Men That Don't Fit In (Robert Service)

Post by Eternum 1 » Tue Nov 26, 2013 2:20 pm

:bump:
Image

***********************

Post Reply

Return to “In Tribute”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 6 guests