"Neither god nor worm"

Human beings are neither gods nor helpless animals.  Sometimes it's easy to say, "It's ALL my fault" and to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders.  Other times, it's easy to say, "NONE of it's my fault!  I'm the VICTIM of my upbringing/conditioning/circumstances."  Neither of these are true.  

"When men in fear take to extremes, the truth lay somewhere in between" - Micah-Joel Tuhy

“Neither god nor worm that man must be.”

As every man must face his fate

with sword, in shrift, or fierce debate

I must in earnest take a stand

to be no more than but a man.

Though Atlas bears titanic tons

and Heroes hoist the heaven’s high

I am mere mortal, and but one

contented with one death to die.

Though Heracles cleaves hydra’s heads

And Caesar conquers Roman Gaul

I, [] stand fat and sit well fed.

with no excuse, no, none at all.

Yet still I rise to disagree

renounce your claims of agony

rebuke your miscast misery

as something made or dealt by me.

Of many charges left to do,

Not among them has been You.

Your life, YOUR life, success or strife,

is yours, at ease or point of knife.

For thus my will is to be mine.

Just as your life is to be thine.

for in my time, the truth sublime

unveils itself before my mind

Your gifts are yours, from God was gave

so hold me not as Lord or slave.

I am but man as I began

Professing only this brief stand:

As I cannot command the morn

nor choose the place where I was born

I won’t be held responsible

for that which I’ve had no control.

This then is the work of man

and all that he can understand.

content thy work towards what will change

leave curses to those mad deranged

Do not blame fate or gods complain

Become the master of your pain.

Though we can’t choose to cease to bleed

the choice is ours to choose to see

beyond our wounds, beyond our blood

beyond the heavens, hells and mud.

Let mortals bear what mortals can,

and stand but proudly, yet as men.