Fate

Am I a fool to want to float,
to sail away on a leaky boat,
exploring canals and rivers,
trimming sails in squally weather
until I reach the estuary
and the freedom of the open sea?
A mysterious cloud invokes my muse,
questions the destiny I choose.
What if I should lose my way?
Then I will consult the sky: by day
I have the wind and the sun,
by night an atlas of constellations.
But what if the boat should crash or sink?
That will be up to fate, I think.

Kim M. Russell, 22nd April 2025

Image by Alexandros Giannakakis on Unsplash

At the dVerse Poets Pub today it’s Tuesday Poetics, this week with Merril, who asks us to think about fate.

She says that “some people believe what happens is preordained by a god or gods, or by the stars. Some may consult their daily horoscopes or star charts. In Shakespeare’s time, the ancient Roman idea of Fortune spinning a wheel was a popular conceit, as was the idea that Fate was a strumpet, loved by many, but faithful to no one,” for which Merril has given examples from Shakespeare’s work. She adds that educated people of Shakespeare’s time also believed in astrology. Does fate determine what will happen to us or not?

She also refers to Robert Frost’s ‘The Road Not Taken’, which she says is “a deceptively simple and often misread poem. We really don’t know if his life is good or bad. Did the narrator’s choice to take one road over the other make any difference?”

30 thoughts on “Fate”

  1. I especially like the these final lines, Kim:

     “by day
    I have the wind and the sun,
    by night an atlas of constellations.
    But what if the boat should crash or sink?
    That will be up to fate, I think.”

    We never know, do we?

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  6. I think it is brave to want to do this. I love this whole part:

    What if I should lose my way?
    Then I will consult the sky: by day
    I have the wind and the sun,
    by night an atlas of constellations.

    Liked by 1 person

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  9. I love the light-hearted end of your poem and the seriousness that preceded it [the questions and responses] Your poem reminded me that once upon a time … cannot remember the exact words … an admirer composed a poem that ended something like “I’ll see you again ~ damn propriety and then I’ll tell our fortune in the stars, upon a wooden ship in the sea” ~ he was such a smooth talker. Thank you for jogging my memory.

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  10. A full circle…impeccably composed, structured…..lovely use of the sailing analogy……this is the difference between a poet and someone who has some nice ideas to write a poem…..I think just the same as someone grabbing a sailboat but not knowing how to sail….flawless, Kim.

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