A poem's power

Not many people read poems these days. But sometimes the power of a poem could be so profound that it can motivate you to achieve your dreams even in the face of most challenging of circumstances.

Few days ago, I was watching NHK Television before Japanese Astronaut Naoko Yamazaki blasted off towards the International Space Station onboard the shuttle Discovery on April 5th, to became the second Japanese woman to go into space after Chiaki Mukai. Yamazaki, a mother of a daughter talked of the various challenges she faced preparing for this day for the past 11 long years.

What kept her going most of the time was the motivation she derived from the following lines of a Poem by Japanese Poet Takamura Kotaro, she said.

「僕の前に道はない、僕の後ろに道はできる」　
[Boku no mae ni michi wa nai, Boku no ushiro ni michi wa dekiru.]

There is no road before me, But I can leave a trail behind me.

The poem was introduced to her by a teacher in her school, and since then it had a strong impact on her, she said.

Walking the talk is important, but sometimes an inspiring talk could be half the walk.