Free will and freedom: A poem 

The plot of destiny is not in chance or free will 

We only have illusions that actions can have their fill 

Initiatives and choices are by circumstance distilled 

Hard work may go unrequited; energy may be stilled 

The seasons of life are with this humility rife 

At the pinnacle of glory, death can strike 

Abundance of talent by a lack of opportunity laid bare 

Great wealth and power, in an instant, become a nightmare 

A surfeit of free will can be a mighty treat 

This God’s benevolence to humbly greet 

With virtuosity and philanthropy; and never outrage fate 

For punishment and retribution are never too late 

Free will can be reckless, it can dig the soul’s grave 

Of obsessions and passions, it can make one a slave 

Our choices of free will must not with freedom be confused 

For true liberation with dispassion and stoicism is infused