When The Spirit Is So High Poem by Leonard Dabydeen

When the spirit is so high to lift mind
over body, to surmount challenges
tethered in iron-clad riveted bind,
be so embrace Herculean stances.

When the fire that burns inside, so rages
to bring the soul to flight of enchantment,
let the wonderous feelings ride the ages
Time encrypted with rules of engagement.

When the heart palpitates with fulfillment
and be so empowered to overcome
all obstacles being acquiescent,
let there be no smudge of doubt at random.

Preparedness is key to commitment:
the cuckoo's nest* is not an achievement.













* In American slang 'cuckoo' means 'crazy' or 'madman'. Therefore 'cuckoo's nest' is an apt term for the mental hospital which is the setting of the book. The title is a line in an old nursery rhyme about three geese leaving a flock, "one flew east, one flew west, one flew over the cuckoo's nest".