des Anges Cruser, Decision

As I scanned my options to prevail, 

A crystalline memory did ascend.

Agony, with a clear lugubrious cadence, 

Raked like a rasp across my soul.

Echoing from a portend

Of a destiny not fulfilled,

A call to grace does bubble up,

That I, a fool, do daub and filter.

I will not let it thrive or surge.

But at my daemon’s persistent behest,

I must venture a solution.

Timing nipping at my heel, 

Revelation out of reach,

I stumbled at last on a plundered totem

From a distant past moral stand

That I had taken by design.

I seize it now, trying to leave 

Nothing to chance.

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Born in Washington DC, I completed advanced degrees in French, public administration and psychology. My doctorate is in family systems and organizational behavior. My career spans 50 years, from serving as a commissioned officer in the US Navy, to working as a psychologist and senior manager of behavioral health systems. I retired as an associate professor of research in the mental sciences in Fort Worth, Texas, and currently do healthcare consulting. I’ve published in scientific journals, but now I appreciate the time to develop a more literary creative experience of life.