Entry 1.5: Oh, I guess you want some sort of poetic response, don't you?

Well, since you did imply the use of some poem coupled with related imagery,

If by Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,

Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,

And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

Even though this has nothing to do with the title of my blog, this is my favourite poem, and to comply with step three, a small paragraph.

This poem is my favorite because I can connect with it so deeply. Every verse of it can show an event in which the speaker could imply an event and a lesson he learned from it. For example, "Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools"
This could refer to an experience where he lost everything and he had to start again, whether in a relationship, a business developement, or even a simple DIY project. From each verse I see a lesson which I have learned, and a reminder of how a pushed through those difficulties to where I am today.
However my most poignant connection is the last verse, where it identifies the speaker as a parent. This I find so deep because I have a very strong relationship with my father, and every time I read this poem I imagine my father as the narrator, so I can learn from his mistakes.
Overall I love this poem and it shows to me that spirit of "if [so many great men and women] could to it, I can too!"

I chose this portrait of Ted Roosevelt because he to me represents the determination displayed by this poem. He continually struggled through the turns of his life, losing vision in one eye, running for president, and almost getting assassinated! His accomplishments and his legacy embody this poem, and inspire me to persevere through life (and talk softly and carry a big stick, of course).

(Also, for your enjoyment, a picture of a duck)