Free Will

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Shackle me in chains that I may be free!
Bludgeon my face and break my sinful limbs,
That they would fail to follow wayward whims!
Bind my writhing body beneath the sea,
Weeping on the cold sea floor! Oh, lay me
Numb and maimed and glad, and my soul that dims
Not despite its sins, would sing sweet hymns,
Obey your dear commands, and happy be.

But ah, but no, You God, refuse, and oh,
Find fair endless favor for my foe,
Insatiate Horror: monster through whom all
Find Will to sin and linger languid low,
Who points his bony finger fixed with gall
Toward my soul, and scowls at my fall.

—

This poem was second-place winner of the Yedid Nefesh (Powered by Yavneh) anonymously judged poetry contest.

About the Author

Shai Goldman spent three years studying talmud at Yeshivat Har Etzion. He is currently pursuing his bachelors in Computer Science at Columbia University. There, while taking the required core literature courses, he fell in love with poetry, and began writing poems of his own. His recent book, "Poems on the Parsha," is available on Amazon.