Choosing Life
Today,
my fate
has been decided
by a panel
of lifelong
politicians,
solemnly
sworn to
uphold and interpret
the laws of
this land,
put
in
place by
our Founding Fathers.
We gave them
their power,
but
who
gave them
permission to designate
my decision, determining
the path
which
I
must choose?
They cannot comprehend
the damage done
by choosing
Life.
****A hay(na)ku is a three line poem where the first line consists of one word, the second line has two, and the third line is composed of three words. A reverse hay(na)ku is three lines composed in the opposite fashion, of three words, then two, and one word for the final line. In the 2019 Poetry Marathon, I created the “Mirror hay(na)ku” by combining a hay(na)ku with a reverse hay(na)ku. In 2020, I took things a step further by compiling five mirror hay(na)ku stanzas and calling it a Hall of Mirrors Hay(na)ku.****
I love how creatively you’ve worked and reworked this form, and the delicacy of these short lines makes the impact of your words incredibly powerful. Thank you.