If the Gods forsake me

Inspired by Marcus Aurelius

If the Gods foresake me

my country and my family

Then I pray I see the reason

and at least have some idea why.

 

If storms assail me

And I'm in a winter storm wearing summer clothes

then such must be my destiny

but that doesn't mean I shouldn't seek shelter.

 

If I am lonely

and deeply in love with you

and indeed my Karma is heavy

and you don't love me too.

Then too there must be some reason

and a cause or some lesson, maybe some long ago thing done wrong.

Maybe I can yet resolve if I change inside and grow strong.

 

If the Gods have abandoned me

and my heart is destined again to break

If I must suffer for your sake

Then I must apologize for the cause I made long ago.

 

Christopher H. Holte, 1981

Note: Marcus Aurelius wrote a similar poem long ago in his "Meditations"; "If the Gods have forsaken me" is a common fear and refrain among those who try to do the right thing or are engaged in struggle. Each of us have trials which we must pass through, sometimes blindly, or perish. During such times it seems that God or the Gods, or at least the love and support of God, has abandoned us. But in reality such is never the case, but rather we live in a world of causality where we are each tested by travails. With a powerful faith one summons the courage ("life force") to challenge such challenges. The true object of worship is the reflection of what we can be.

"If the Gods have forsaken me,

I and my family..." -- Marcus Aurelius