SHOW UP LIKE FATE.
The greatest heroes
do not have fate on their side.
Rather, they show up just like fate
—they do not hide—
with the same inevitability and intention
and in the best stories
the reason they receive mention.
Did Odysseus blame the wind and the sea?
He simply sailed on remarkably
and spoke eloquently
how to survive, thrive, stab cyclops in the eye;
win the next day—
in the Homeric epic
that moved Aristotle to say:
“The beauty of the soul shines out
when a person bears with composure
one heavy mischance after another.”
And so what is your misfortune
and are you a champ?
Do you mourn the next portent
or simply break camp?
Could you actually
become a hero with no adversity?
It seems at least to me
the more you show up just like fate is an adversary
the better chance you have
at a life that inspires
and being given a tripod
and honored on a pyre.
When tragedy like tide rolls in and again
— show up like fate…
and run with the moon towards city gate.
Hey Text and Rocker!
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WARRIOR: A TEXT AND ROCK POETRY COLLECTION ON ART. HEART. AND THE WARRIOR ETHOS.
Show up like fate Text and Rocker!
—Swift-Footed Markilles