The Prognosis of a Passionate Man (Part II) (poem)

By Luke Labern

There are goals in the distance
With sure lines of attack
But chance in life is certain
And for that there's no track.

So I move: first inside, then out
In parallel parabolas
Moved along by the current
Of mortality.

And pulled in myriad directions
My head is pulled under, and
The rapids disorientate even
The most clear-headed.

Diamond-will and marching
Determination, fortified with
Blazing ambition are
Great assets
                    But even they can't guarantee
                    A certain path.

All that matters, then, is
Self-belief --
                    Swim or drown.