Rudyard Kipling's "If" is a well - known poem that pretty much sums up a successful life. It has been criticised for being too rigid and dispassionate, among others but taken at face value, has a lot of wisdom and makes for good reading. Walt Whitman's collection 'Leaves of Grass' has many gret poems to look at.
Here's a poem I wrote about life. Life is like a flower that grows in the sun, always reaching out but never fully done. Let your love show like a wonderful flower, in the sunshine that flows will your body be showered.
Recommend any of the following:
"If" Rudyard Kipling
"Dream Song 14" John Berryman
"what is life" Samuel Taylor Coleridge
"Road Less Traveled" Robert Frost
Here is one of my favorites: "Here I sit broken hearted, I tried to poop, but only farted. I went outdoors, I took a chance, tried to pass gas and pooped my pants" I think that says it all. Yep, thats life for ya.