It Couldn’t Be Done is a poem was brought to our attention by one of our students, Kevin Tytus. Kevin thought about this poem during the class discussion of overcoming difficult assignments. We say “Our job as teachers is to give the impossible. Your job as students is to do it”. I was curious why he had such a big smile on his face.
Kevin said it was just like the poem discussed at school. He was proud that he tries hard in class (school and Dojo). Curious about the poem, I give him the assignment of writing it out for us. He misunderstood and began to recite the poem. I didn’t stop him until I realized the poem was long and we were at the end of class ready to dismiss. After class was dismissed, I found him and asked him to write it out for me. I share with you the following:
It Couldn’t Be Done
Somebody said that it couldn’t be done
But he with a chuckle replied
That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one
Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it!
Somebody scoffed: “Oh, you’ll never do that;
At least no one ever has done it;”
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat
And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.
There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure,
There are thousands to point out to you one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start in to sing as you tackle the thing
That “cannot be done,” and you’ll do it.
(This and other poems can be found here. It Couldn’t Be Done. )
Now I understand why Kevin started to smile. “Just buckle in with a bit of a grin…” straight from the poem. My previous blog, Find a Way, discusses a time when people used to work at solving a problem until it was solved. Not giving up. Having no excuses. Edgar Guest lived from 1881 to 1959. Do you know of any modern day poems that shows this spirit? Please share. I will update this blog with Kevin reciting the poem.