Sonnet: True Greatness

True greatness isn’t what men can give on earth Or that obtained by clout or influence, Nor that which comes through lineage since one’s birth, But comes from heaven’s grace and providence. The titles that the world confers don’t stay; The degrees got by toil can always fail; The honours crowned are meaningless some way; Only a few, heaven and earth, both hail. True greatness comes from God who sees your heart; It comes to some only after their death; What’s God-decreed stays after you depart; A few turn great decades after, by stealth. Yet, men and women brag of being great; The truly great stay so on any date! Copyright by Dr John Celes 22-05-2014