The Minimalist

"Fate thrives on figures and intricate designs. Its difficulty lies in its complexity. But life is difficult by reason of its simplicity."—Rilke

I sought to simplify my ways,

Suppress wants to a minimum,

And lightly live here, day by day,

Preparing for the end to come

—a pussy cat’s good company!

How best, then, to contrive this much,

When esurient ego seeks to be,

Desiring praise, the tribal touch!

A scrap of credit spirit craves

Before s/he sinks beneath the waves.

Living lightly upon the earth,

Pursued no pointless human task,

Some recognition of one’s worth

Is surely not too much to ask!

Epigraph: Rainer Maria Rilke, The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge, translated by Edward Snow (Norton, 2023), 160

Thursday, April 10, 2025