The Buckley School's founder believed that all public speakers should hone their presentation skills by reading poetry out loud. We keep that worthwhile practice alive by including a poem in our magazine each month for you to read aloud.
"And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit unto the measure of his life?"
– writer Mary Shannon Wells in "Southern Living"
With a new year, many of us are thinking about the challenges that lie ahead or looking about for inspiration.
Here's a simple poem from Emily Dickinson you might try reading out loud. We, of course, had to Google "cubit." As you probably already know, a cubit is an ancient unit of measurement based on the length from elbow to the tip of the middle finger, roughly 18 inches.
We've included poems from Emily Dickinson before, so if you'd like to read a bit about the poet, you'll find it here.
We never know how high we are (1176)
We never know how high we are
Till we are called to rise;
And then, if we are true to plan,
Our statures touch the skies—
The Heroism we recite
Would be a daily thing,
Did not ourselves the Cubits warp
For fear to be a King—
