Author: Glenda Mae Greene
The following poem and play represent
data collected for Glenda Mae Greene's dissertation on the concept
of success developed by three Caribbean Canadian girls.
1998.
The quest for success: a synthesis
in polylogue
I was born for success.
I moved toward it
the week I learned my ABC's,
the year I left for high school
the day I became senior class president.
I soared toward success in a swing
set
crafted in wonder
powered by words
You can do it!
accolades, adoration falling on me
like water from the sky.
On the crest of success
my dream capsized.
Angst was my shadow
my time frame shattered
but I had to keep on.
I felt alone
left out in the cold
I didn't have a place.
God, what's up?
floundering
I saw the light of
an opened window
Everything happens for a reason.
I found one oar
Success is how one reacts to
the lows in her life
and then the other
Success is being at peace inside
yourself.
In search of success,
I lost my way
'til my mind saw my mother
her little face lighted up
my pilot heard her voice
as if from afar
It's you marching down that aisle
I kept going
prodded by expectations
mine, hers, theirs
In search of success,
I found my roots,
I am my mother's daughter
I looked for new seas-
color, warmth, space,
service, love
success is my journey
freedom my destination
In search of success
I found my God.
I had survived
only because He loves me.
And then I saw land
I walked softly
carrying my big stick.
leaving muddy footprints behind me
I stopped
by the greenhouse
nourished by its rich-scented earthiness
But there were other pinnacles
I had to climb
in search of success
I found new stars-
I was not boxed in-
peace is my center
it was
those little successes
all along my way
-not the big splash
at the end-
that counted
just as much as
the diamond I held
clutched in my heart
self-actualization is my destination.