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    Bill W
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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 

A Life in Question - 1. A Life in Question

This is the first poem I've submitted.

Is it a voice I hear calling to me?
Why is It telling me that I am my brother’s keeper?
Is this merely my conscience speaking?
Or is it the voice of God that I hear?

Although I do not live a lavish lifestyle
Nor do I possess the wealth I’d dreamed of attaining
The quality of my life has been more than adequate
And I do not want for any basic needs.

However, I am aware there are many in the world
Who are not so lucky and much worse off than I,
Because they lack suitable food and water,
As well as a safe place to call home.

Although I wish my life had been better
And I had everything my heart desired,
I am grateful for the things that I have
And I’m willing to share my good fortune.

Even though my life did not turn out exactly as I’d planned
It’s still better than many others in the world,
I’ll admit that I tend to ignore this fact at times
Otherwise I might feel guilty about being dissatisfied.

I have done what I can to help others in need
So my conscience is clear, although I might have done more
The voice now whispers hope and offers me solace
I’ve done what I could to end some of the suffering.

Have we all heard this voice, yet heeded it not?
Are we all too absorbed in the pursuit of useless objects?
Are we willing to ignore others struggling to merely stay alive?
Are those objects more valuable than a human life?

The Pharaohs believed our hearts would be weighed on a scale
If that’s true, will our good deeds offset our insatiable greed?
If there is a God, will (s)he be pleased with what we’ve done?
Or will we have failed to live up to the humanity we were given?

Copyright © 2013 Bill W; All Rights Reserved.
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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 

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Lots of interesting thoughts, a real voice of conscience. You express precisely how most of feel, I guess: we do OK; we have problems of our own; but are we failing to do enough for those who are so much worse off than us? Is ours a good life? A difficult question to answer, but asking it all is a first step, I guess. Thanks for sharing.

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Lots of things to think about in reading this, especially in reading the last section, about our hearts being weighed and whether our deeds will reflect the humanity we're supposed to have. Very nice poem!

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I know I've heard said before but what good is a life unexamined? Your poem does nothing less then take a moment to look at what you have, be grateful for it, and look to the future. If our heart is weighed on the scale of truth against a feather, may we be lucky enough to see the scales balance. Definitely food for thought in your poem.

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Exceptional social commentary and Reflects the writers' soul.

 

Thanks Bill

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On 04/20/2013 01:04 AM, Mark92 said:
Excellent Bill :) We could all learn a lesson from that. Well done :2thumbs:
Thanks for the comment Mark. It was the first time I've submitted a poem, so I was a little leery about how it would be received.
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On 04/20/2013 03:33 AM, joann414 said:
Lot of food for thought in your writing. Very well written. YOu did a great job here! :2thumbs:
Thanks for the feedback, Joann. As I told Mark, I wasn't sure how this would be received.
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On 04/20/2013 03:48 AM, carringtonrj said:
Lots of interesting thoughts, a real voice of conscience. You express precisely how most of feel, I guess: we do OK; we have problems of our own; but are we failing to do enough for those who are so much worse off than us? Is ours a good life? A difficult question to answer, but asking it all is a first step, I guess. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the feedback, RJ. These are questions I ask myself quite often.
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On 04/20/2013 03:58 AM, Michael9344 said:
Insightful. Reflective. And short:D. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for the comment, Michael. It was short, but it expressed everything I wanted to say at the time. Unusual for a windbag, huh? lol
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On 04/20/2013 06:08 AM, layla said:
Lots of things to think about in reading this, especially in reading the last section, about our hearts being weighed and whether our deeds will reflect the humanity we're supposed to have. Very nice poem!
Thanks for the comment, Layla, and those are questions we all probably grope with.
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On 04/20/2013 06:39 AM, comicfan said:
I know I've heard said before but what good is a life unexamined? Your poem does nothing less then take a moment to look at what you have, be grateful for it, and look to the future. If our heart is weighed on the scale of truth against a feather, may we be lucky enough to see the scales balance. Definitely food for thought in your poem.
Thanks for the feedback, Wayne, and I hope this does cause people to examine their lives for a moment.
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On 04/20/2013 06:59 AM, W_L said:
Exceptional social commentary and Reflects the writers' soul.

 

Thanks Bill

Thanks for the comment, WL. Hopefully I haven't bared too much of my soul. hehehe Am I really the antithesis of Gordon Gekko? lol
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The voice of a man's conscience is never easy to find answers too.

We can only do our best, and try be what we can to those we can.

Poignant line of thought Bill.

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On 04/20/2013 08:23 AM, Yettie One said:
The voice of a man's conscience is never easy to find answers too.

We can only do our best, and try be what we can to those we can.

Poignant line of thought Bill.

Thank you for the response, Yetti, and what I was hoping to evoke were feelings toward those less fortunate and outside our own extended family or particular group, whether based of ethniticity, race, religion or some other factor.
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For your first contrabution, it is a very beautiful piece. It really makes you think about that inner voice inside each of us. Thanks for sharing. :)

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On 04/20/2013 10:58 PM, K.C. said:
For your first contrabution, it is a very beautiful piece. It really makes you think about that inner voice inside each of us. Thanks for sharing. :)
Thanks, KC, but I wonder how many people ignore that inner voice.
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What a beautiful and insightful poem Bill. It was really to the point and underlies the greatest questions of humanity and how they have been blurred by the voices of culture. What if money were no object? What is our worth? Who do we compare it to? What is happiness, and where do we derive it from? What is our meaning?

I particularly loved the last verse with the Pharaohs. Wonderful work Bill.

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very reflective and insightful. this is a great portrayal of reflecting on life, and there is a lesson to be learned from your poem. Very nice work :)

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On 04/21/2013 01:05 PM, Luc Rosen said:
What a beautiful and insightful poem Bill. It was really to the point and underlies the greatest questions of humanity and how they have been blurred by the voices of culture. What if money were no object? What is our worth? Who do we compare it to? What is happiness, and where do we derive it from? What is our meaning?

I particularly loved the last verse with the Pharaohs. Wonderful work Bill.

Thanks for the feedback, Fishy, and I'm glad you enjoyed it. I was a little hesitant to submit it, seeing I'd never entered a poem before, so I'm glad it was well received.
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On 04/21/2013 01:33 PM, Mikie said:
very reflective and insightful. this is a great portrayal of reflecting on life, and there is a lesson to be learned from your poem. Very nice work :)
Thanks for the feedback, CWM. I am truly humbled that my poem is receiving this kind of attention. Thanks again.
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Really nice piece. I was left with both a sense of longing and of purpose. I liked the theme of asking questions, as we so rarely have answers to anything in life.

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On 07/15/2014 07:19 AM, zaf89 said:
Really nice piece. I was left with both a sense of longing and of purpose. I liked the theme of asking questions, as we so rarely have answers to anything in life.
Thanks for responding to this piece, zaf89. I'm glad you enjoyed it. More people should ask questions about how they're living their lives.
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