Nelson Mandela has been on my mind frequently these days, with reports of his failing health all over the news. This poem apparently was one of his favorites. A good reminder for me that no matter what the circumstance, I have the power to choose my response. I am indeed "the captain of my soul."
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
~ William Henley