One of my favorite poems

I first read this poem in an ancient version of "Book of Knowledge".  I was 10 or 12 years old when I discovered it.  I've never been one to have a lot of friends, so these words spoke to me in a huge way that you probably can't even imagine.  They still do.  There is truth in these verses.  Back in my teens and early twenties, this poem kept hope alive in my soul.  Someone on Facebook posted a quote by John Burroughs, and it reminded me of these words from his golden pen.  His words probably changed my life.  

Never give up.

Waiting

Serene, I fold my hands and wait,
Nor care for wind, nor tide, nor sea;
I rave no more 'gainst time or fate,
For lo! my own shall come to me.

I stay my haste, I make delays,
For what avails this eager pace?
I stand amid the eternal ways,
And what is mine shall know my face.

Asleep, awake, by night or day,
The friends I seek are seeking me;
No wind can drive my bark astray,
Nor change the tide of destiny.

What matter if I stand alone?
I wait with joy the coming years;
My heart shall reap where it hath sown,
And garner up its fruit of tears.

The waters know their own and draw
The brook that springs in yonder height;
So flows the good with equal law
Unto the soul of pure delight.

The stars come nightly to the sky;
The tidal wave unto the sea;
Nor time, nor space, nor deep, nor high,
Can keep my own away from me. 

John Burroughs