Unconquered

Invictus

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 Ernest Henley

I ran across this poem recently and the second I finished it it held so much truth and perspective to me. The history behind this poem is that it was memorized by almost every Allied soldier during World Word I as a source of motivation and perseverance. This summer, not to mention this entire year, has been such a world wind for me and continues to be one from finances, to family, to school, to personal issues. Life is full of obstacles, or humps as Ms. Badu would say, but I refuse to me dissuaded and I refuse to give up even if the world is against me. This is just a detour, but I'll be at my destination sure enough.

Currently listening to: That Hump -Erykah Badu, New Amerykah