This is a private matter of the heart and mind.
"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.
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.
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,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate;
I am the captain of my soul.
I am the captain of my soul.
"Margaritae Sorori"
A late lark twitters from the quiet skies:
And from the west,
Where the sun, his day's work ended,
Lingers as in content,
There falls on the old, gray city
An influence luminous and serene,
A shining peace.
The smoke ascends
In a rosy-and-golden haze. The spires
Shine and are changed. In the valley
Shadows rise. The lark sings on. The sun,
Closing his benediction,
Sinks, and the darkening air
Thrills with a sense of the triumphing night--
Night with her train of stars
And her great gift of sleep.
So be my passing!
My task accomplish'd and the long day done,
My wages taken, and in my heart
Some late lark singing,
Let me be gather'd to the quiet west,
The sundown splendid and serene,
Death.
And from the west,
Where the sun, his day's work ended,
Lingers as in content,
There falls on the old, gray city
An influence luminous and serene,
A shining peace.
The smoke ascends
In a rosy-and-golden haze. The spires
Shine and are changed. In the valley
Shadows rise. The lark sings on. The sun,
Closing his benediction,
Sinks, and the darkening air
Thrills with a sense of the triumphing night--
Night with her train of stars
And her great gift of sleep.
So be my passing!
My task accomplish'd and the long day done,
My wages taken, and in my heart
Some late lark singing,
Let me be gather'd to the quiet west,
The sundown splendid and serene,
Death.
In life we all face our own unique challenges. William Ernest Henley may be best remembered for the poems above. "Invictus" is about the tale of a man with amazing strength and perseverance. Henley's later work "Margaritae Sorori" is said to be his reflection on life and his acceptance of death. Because of his tenaciousness in life, he is herald as having the type of character a "real man" should hold. To me, the above are the tales of a woman just as bold.
Henley died in 1903 and shortly afterwards an angel was born. She was born strong as a whip with a legacy of chains...meant to be unbroken. This woman would grow to be my model of Invictus, my knight in shining armor. And now I am hers. Sometimes it hurts, but I guess that it is literally poetic justice at work.
We share the same blood. I've even been told that we have the same smile; our eyes our the same. Some days I am as confused as she is, as we mirror one another's pain. I could go on forever talking about what my grandma means to me. But if you understand, then you understand. I don't need to say much more. Just walk with me!
Let's walk together to end Alzheimer's
Where: Montrose Harbor
Montrose Avenue & Simonds Drive
Chicago, IL 60613
When: Sunday, September 18, 2011
Registration Opens at 8:00 am
Walk Starts at 10:00 am
Length: 3.2 miles
Contact: Nick Magnone, Special Events Manager
Phone: 847.933.2413
Email: Nick.Magnone@alz.org
