Memo To William Ernest Henley Poem by Hans Ostrom

(author of "Invictus")

I'm not the master of my fate,
not even an apprentice. That said,
I do hold season tickets to watch
effects of fate on me; that's about it.
At this or any moment,
I have no very big idea of where
my fate is, what it looks like, or what
its plans might be. Invictus, inschmictus,
in other words. I'm not the captain of
my fate. I'm below-decks,
with no access to helm, map, sextant, sky,
or why. The sea, so to speak, seems in charge
of my fate, and something else
seems in charge of the
sea. We'll see, we'll see.