#4

My favorite poem, which I also used in my introduction blog, is Invictus by William Ernest Henley:

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.

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.

It matters not how strait the gate
How charged with punishments the scroll
I am the master of my fate.
I am the captain of my soul.

I love this poem because it inspires me to take charge and persevere through anything that comes my way. One thing I can learn from this poem is how to use rhyme effectively. I'm not so good at rhyming in my pieces. I usually end up writing to the rhyme, just like the poem BFF?? did. I think Henley managed to use rhymes to aid his piece rather than make it or hinder it.