Maybe they do sit there,
the Fates, ruling the strings –
one spins, one measures,
one cuts life-wicks
that intertwine, woof and warp, woven
into the worlds' fabric
Or could it be that
the humans' Fate is in ones own hands,
decided by choices and deeds… ?
(aren't those but reactions to situations?)
What reaction can there be
to the one's deed,
the alien thread,
that decides for others… ?
~~~
I originally wrote this last summer, under constant missile threat. It came back to haunt me now, when they're still investigating what decided the fate of 150 people…
Posted for dVerse.
L
ואולי באמת הן יושבות אי-שם,
בנוֹת הגורל המוֹשלות בחוטים –
אחת טוֹוָה, אחת מודדת,
אחת חותכת את פתילי החיים,
המשתלבים בשתי וערב, נארגים,
אל יריעת חיים חובקת עולם
ואולי בידי האדם גורלו-הוא,
בבחירותיו ומעשיו… ?
(או שמא אלה רק תגובות לְמצב?)
אך איזו תגובה יכולה להיות
למעשי האחד,
הסיב הזר במרקם,
המחליט עבור אחרים… ?
~~~
נכתב במקור במהלך צוק איתן, תחת מתקפת טילים, וחזר לרדוף אותי עכשיו, כאשר עדיין בודקים מה קבע את גורלם של 150 אנשים…
L
Some things are very difficult to understand. Fate is one of those factors. Who decides who will live and who will die is something no one human should ever decide
אהבתיאהבתי
I totally and whole-heartedly agree with you – it is not for a human to decide for another human. Life is sacred
אהבתיאהבתי
I might be a little bit scientific on this matter.. today we know that part of our future is written in the genetic code, for instance some sicknesses and capabilities, others are part of the way in which we are brought up the rest is up to us and simple randomness… that means that it's only the randomness that could come from a higher purpose. For instance the coincidence of being on an airplane where the pilot decides to kill himself… but it is an interesting concept to ponder on…. Thank you for making me think :-)
אהבתיאהבתי
Although I was mostly aware of the separate elements you mentioned, I never thought to put them together like this. And it does make a lot of sense.
So thank you too!
But I would still hold judgment on that pilot. Call me naïve but I'm still hoping he had a stroke or something
אהבתיאהבתי
a lot of heartfelt questions here… i wish i knew the one or other answer… some things though just leave me speachless…
אהבתיאהבתי
You got it. It is from the heart-ache that I wonder. Too many bad news lately. Wishing you, me and all of us a quiet weekend
אהבתיאהבתי
Many great questions in this poem. You're right, though: our fates are, more often than not, an accumulation of our choices & actions. It's how we deal with the consequences of our choices that define us. Great poem to get one thinking.
אהבתיאהבתי
Good. Thinking is one of my favorite hobbies :-) Always happy to promote it
But I'm not sure I'm all with you on the choices-actions-dealing thing. I did insert a question there, because along with our choices, there also is the unknown, undefined, uncontrolled element, which is outside of one human-being, as in (for instance) the action of another
אהבתיאהבתי
.
Great poem– hard questions
אהבתיאהבתי
wow, Thanks! Much appreciated… and yes – sometimes it is time to ask questions, even when there are no answers
אהבתיאהבתי
This made me think of our choices versus our fate. Who decides who gets to spin, who measures and who decides for others. A very timely response. Thanks for sharing ~
אהבתיאהבתי
That was my point exactly. After all there also still is such a thing as personal responsibility, which is looking more and more lost versus all that has been News for the past week or so
אהבתיאהבתי
I like the imagery in this….of the Fates sitting there weaving and cutting, but also the deeper questions that you've woven into this piece.
אהבתיאהבתי
It really was the imagery that first grabbed me, when I became familiar with the Fates mythology :-) I was taken by the serenity of such seemingly calm domestic pursuits, and what a result the original myth-tellers ascribed to them
אהבתיאהבתי
Awesome – True- and am I becoming dyslexic? This typiing is coming in backwards for some reason. anyway, you just described my entire life's philosophy in a beatiful poem that takes less than two mintues to read. So it seems I've spent 55 years doing very little! :) Nice poem
אהבתיאהבתי
oh, no, no, I'm sure you did a lot :-) especially of the stuff that I didn't yet manage to do. Another reason why we need humans around, to complete together life's jigsaw-puzzle, winks
But seriously, a- I didn't join this world much later than you (less than a decade). And b- it actually took missiles dropping from the sky for me to string together the random thoughts and come up with this. So I'm glad you were spared that experience
:-)
אהבתיאהבתי