The Orchestra of Life
A Poem about Managing Expectations
I have thought a lot about managing expectations of late. Of course, there has been a bit of frustration over them.
Managing expectations is an enormous part of life. I feel the need to manage expectations of parents, students and colleagues as a teacher. There are expectations of us at work. Our families expect a lot from us. Of course, we expect a lot from ourselves.
Managing expectations is a lot like playing in an orchestra. There must be open communication among its members. One must set realistic goals, and not over-promise. And of course, there must be flexibility.
Enjoy this sonnet.
Orchestra plays, a non-harmonic blend
The audience cringes, faces sallow
The melody comes, in pain, to an end
The final note sounding hallow
Its members heads turn about
Looking for a cue
Seeking for a guiding shout
As to what to do
To render the tune melodic
The players must make it certain
Song starts to flow, notes specific
In a harmonic pattern
Members know that they must play
A song elegant and tuneful
But they never over-said the way
That the tune will turn soulful
In fluid motion, the instruments blend
To bring the song to fulfilling end.
About the Creator
Michelle Liew
Hi, i am an English Language teacher cum freelance writer with a taste for pets, prose and poetry. When I'm not writing my heart out, I'm playing with my three dogs, Zorra, Cloudy and Snowball.
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Comments (10)
Congrats on Top Story!🥳🥳🥳
nice poem...
Your stat is challenging your story is so beautiful you write like this you will be a great writer I wish and yes one more thing please open my vocal id and a story come later
nice
Keep it up
Oh, this is so beautifully written. I love the comparison you make between managing expectations and conducting an orchestra. You've written this with such grace.
Bravo! Your hard work is paying off—keep it up, congratulations!
lovely poem. Well done.
Some great things to think about from this
Surely had some worst moments with managing expectations when growing up. Feels so heavy. The starting- "Orchestra plays, a non-harmonic blend The audience cringes".... And then the closing lines- "In fluid motion, the instruments blend To bring the song to fulfilling end." You literally summed up life. Loved this.