A Difference In Nothing Poem Meaning

In my poem, titled “A Difference in Nothing”, I take twelve different lines from unique works of poetry and place them in my intended order to create a new poem. Each of the poems has different themes and is oriented towards a different audience. Examples of this are: Rupi Kaur writes of self love before loving others; Dr. Seuss writes of the misfortune of growing old; and William Ernest Henley writes of one’s will to survive challenges. By choosing the lines that I felt would be effective – yet would be able to flow from one line to another – I was able to connect the uniqueness that is these 12 poems. The title of the poem is “A Difference in Nothing” because it reflects the last two lines of the poem and my intended meaning. Ultimately, from reading
the poem, it can be interpreted that I hope to make a change in my life. The first three lines of my poem speak of the need to fill one’s void. The speaker is searching for what is missing, and in doing so, is wandering.
The speaker cannot find it within the world that surrounds him. He fails to see that the world has much more to offer, than that which exists in his life right now. In the next stanza, the idea that the speaker cannot see what is directly in front of him is “the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart”. This is an example of the speaker’s lack of self confidence – as they often underestimate their abilities. “The night of grief and despair” refers to obstacles that have changed the speaker’s perspective on the world. He has lost something that leads to grief and despair. This continues to the next line where the speaker refers to the world in a negative light. It creates a mood of misery. However, it takes a sharp turn in the next line with “but still, like dust, I'll rise”. The speaker’s writing seems to change as he builds a self-assurance that is able to conquer hopelessness. The last three lines of the poem bring optimism. “Hope” is suggested to take flight in the speaker, leading him to make a difference in the life that he saw as nothing. The poem focuses on the exploration of one’s self. It looks at the idea of not always being satisfied with one’s life; despite this,
one should continue to be optimistic and make the most out of it. The author is not necessarily able to fill his void of grief and despair; however, he tries to make a difference in the aspects of his life that he viewed as “nothing”. The poem looks at a need for optimism during the worst of times. It examines the concept that there will always be difficult obstacles in life, but with hope and a better sense of one’s self, anything can be accomplished. I used twelve lines of poetry from unique poets in order to form a poem that looks at the need for self assurance. Without it, a person may reach their demise.