The fortunate have more to thank than fortune.
Hard work, good habits, morals, values, love --
In these one finds the field that yields one's portion,
Rich in all that would one's fortune prove.
There is, of course, some luck that is like lightning,
Energy descending from the sky,
Emerging from a storm, a brutal brightening,
Needing neither rhyme nor reason why.
Yet even lightning has a natural cause.
Every bit of luck, for good or ill,
Adheres to knowable, predictive laws.
Regard luck, then, as wilderness, where skill
Sustains the balance between grace and will.
Copyright by Nicholas Gordon. Free for personal or non-commercial use.
Audio and Video Music: Pachabelly. By Huma-Huma. Music free to use at YouTube.