Draft in the author’s style. This poem was written for Poet of Uplift to sit beside the author’s own readings, and is waiting for the author’s review. The commentary is a working draft too.
Courage is not free, my friend, and it comes with a price to pay,
It costs you the comfort of the couch and the safety of the day.
It costs you the applause of those who liked you as you were,
And the ease of never trying, and the shelter of the herd.
But oh, the things it buys you, when you pay it with your heart,
A life that is your own, and a brave and brand new start.
It buys you the horizon, and the wind upon your face,
And the pride of having tried, and the joy of a swifter pace.
So pay the price of courage, though your knees begin to shake,
For the bravest of all bargains is the one that's brave to make.
And when the road is over, you will smile and understand,
That the cost was worth the journey, and the wisdom was so grand.
Poet of Uplift · Hear it on the channel ↗
Commentary
Courage comes with a price tag, and this poem is honest about it. It lists what bravery costs and then what it buys.
“Courage is not free, my friend, and it comes with a price to pay.” It costs “the comfort of the couch and the safety of the day,” “the applause of those who liked you as you were,” and “the ease of never trying, and the shelter of the herd.”
But “the things it buys you” are great: “a life that is your own,” “the horizon, and the wind upon your face,” and “the pride of having tried.” The poem tells the reader to “pay the price of courage, though your knees begin to shake,” and at the end, “the cost was worth the journey.”