To be or not to be

written to exhort oneself out of a hole of abysmal hopelessness and indirection

On a day when faith fails to befriend you

and rubs in the last straw of helplessness,

that day, you know,

life doesn't sing lullabies when you want it to.

On a day when sorrow has no bounds

and pain is your only solace,

that day, you know,

hope doesn't look in the eye, it outlooks you.

On a day when you dwell in those past moments 

of rage and happiness,

that day, you know,

time doesn't gift, it only shifts and drifts.

On a day when you search for a reason

to live beyond,

that day, you know,

dreams don't play dice.

I ask myself,

To be or not to be?

You may live long enough 

to do what you do,

but when the sun sets on you,

rise you must, beyond the eyes of your soul.

19 Apr 2013, by Abhilash Hegde

Reviews

[Érenn]

Wow I like this a lot. the repetition not jarring and the words you have used, the examples you have shown I can relate to them well. We all have those times sometime or the other. It ain't easy. You have to live with it. But then I wonder, it's all about getting back up on your feet and look beyond it, which matters the most here. To be or not to be? Well that's the choice we need to make and we have to overcome this one ourselves.

All the last lines of your verses are truly superb and they really have an impact on the reader. This is by far my favorite poem I have read of yours. ^^ Thank you for sharing ^^

[Abhilash Hegde]

Thank you Errenn. I'm humbled to hear such kind words.
You just hit the nail on the head "it's all about getting back up on your feet and look beyond it" and that's what this poem is all about. I'm glad you liked this write and appreciate you taking out the time for reading it. :)

[Érenn]

Your welcome ^^ They are always a joy to read it seems, and your writings are something I can easily follow and there are things you mention in your writes that I follow myself ^^

[.]

A very interesting poem, Abhilash. Like the Bard wrote......that is the question.

We all have days like this. When the sun shines yet we feel no warmth. The rain hits us like cannonballs and not like the soft drops of water in which they are. It is on days like this that we contemplate giving up. The past is the past. We cannot change it or revisit it. We must always move forward. Else we become stuck in the mire of our past mistakes. Look back, reflect, learn and move on. The way it should be.
A very reflective, moody piece. Well written and one to ponder. Nice work.

[barleygirl]

Even tho your message is about hopelessness, for some reason, this doesn't read like a bleak & dreary poem. There's a thread of hopefulness thru-out for me. There's a quiet strength & acceptance in the tone of your words, despite the message of dealing with negative feelings. I feel there are too many commas, which interrupts the flow of the reading. Especially the first line of four stanzas, removing the comma would make this line stronger & more direct. If you want other suggestions for which commas to delete, just let me know. I like the way you've structured this poem with some repetition & crafting parallel lines from stanza to stanza.

[Abhilash Hegde]

Thanks barleygirl, for the insightful review on this write. I truly appreciate it!
I'm glad you could see the, 'hopefulness' all through. This wasn't ever meant to be, a bleak & dreary poem. So I presume, was atleast able to get the intended tone right across the reader.
Thanks a lot for the observations, I value them a lot. I 'll definitely look into it :)
Btw, I'm all ears for any other suggestions you have. Please feel free to critique my write.
Thanks a lot, for stopping by, barleygirl !

[barleygirl]

I would suggest removing every comma after "On a day . . . " (beginning of each stanza).
1st stanza, last line -- remove comma
That would make the reading less choppy & full of pauses . . .

[Abhilash Hegde]

I read the lines very carefully, with those commas removed.
And, I must say, this is a very pertinent suggestion.
You have a very keen eye, barleygirl :)
Thanks so much, for lending more smoothness to the write with this valuable suggestion.
I would go ahead and make the corrections.

[barleygirl]

Your stubbornness is kinda cute! *smile* I'm glad you took your time to decide!