The Mystery of Destiny – Day Eleven of NaPoWriMo 2022

Have you ever wondered how I feel,

The entity before which time kneels,

I can turn the most seraphic of situations sour,

And bestow upon the most vulnerable, immense power

If not for me, miracles would cease,

Life and Death would rampage as they please.

I’ve heard and ignored many woes,

Stood by as civilisations convulsed in Death’s throes,

I was there when grand societies went through deplorable days,

I guided countless young souls to blossoming graves,

Many cursed me in their melancholy,

But this thankless chore proves necessary.

When the surgeon learnt that her son perished,

I made sure his heart found a new home to cherish.

For every relationship that has imploded into a million shreds,

I made childhood lovers disentangle knotted threads.

If not for me, conflicts could never resolve with ease,

Life and Death would rampage as they please.

I am the orchestrator of fortunes waxing and waning,

I am the only hope the desolate have left.

I am the cloak that conceals many from eternal rest,

And the catapult that propels others into great distress.

You’d be surprised at how much guilt I’ve had to bury,

Because this thankless job, after all, proves necessary.

Wars and mass extinctions may be grand displays of mortality,

But only they can restore a planet’s canorous vitality.

Who else can take these calls at the cost of morality?

Who else can bridge light and dark with neutrality?

If not for me, the universe would fall to its knees,

And Life and Death would rampage as they please.

I am the circle of Life and the consummate finality of Death,

I am the force that is standing between you and your final breath.

Time and tide wait for none, but they immobilise for me,

I bring the order that restrains chaos from its spree.

So the next time you vilify me,

Remember that this thankless job has proven necessary.

Written by Ishita Sharma for MTTN

Featured Artwork by Aarathi Mohandas for MTTN