The poem below was inspired by the words of one of the greatest poets of all time.
To hope or not to hope, that is my question.
Whether it is worthy to bear every blow with stoic resilience
Or to foresee the stubbornness of fate
And by protesting, reach peace. Peace,
The senseless darkness, shielding us from the assaults of pain
That we, the unlucky must endure. That’s the ultimate shelter
When all hope has deserted.
Peace, perhaps in heaven
But would heaven be the destination,
Or is what awaits a million times worse
Than our brief earthly stay?
This choking fear halts us
Before we parachute down the abyss,
And willingly submit ourselves to
The ghost of chances past, the cloud of lovers gone,
The moodiness of time, the injustice of wealth
The sword above our head, the weary weight of life
That’s mere honey seasoned by vinegar
While we could give up and resign with ease?
Why would we face the avalanche of despair
That overwhelms our present days?
‘Tis because the future is an unread book
And whether Fortune will be benevolent
Or an adversary, can’t be known.
So in or souls still lies the seed of hope
That our dreams are more than dust
And thus our natural urge to revolt
Is repressed by the force of hope
While we wait for the great moment of joy
That deceives with promises, and then fails to come.
Dommie - Art and Beyond 