Death & Dying
Lyman King
From Spoon River Anthology (1916)
You may think, passer-by, that Fate
Is a pit-fall outside of yourself,
Around which you may walk by the use of foresight
And wisdom.
Thus you believe, viewing the lives of other men,
As one who in God-like fashion bends over an anthill,
Seeing how their difficulties could be avoided.
But pass on into life:
In time you shall see Fate approach you
In the shape of your own image in the mirror;
Or you shall sit alone by your own hearth,
And suddenly the chair by you shall hold a guest,
And you shall know that guest
And read the authentic message of his eyes.
Cite this poem
MLA
Masters, Edgar Lee. “Lyman King.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/masters/197/.
Chicago
Masters, Edgar Lee. “Lyman King.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/masters/197/.
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