The Inexorable Villanelle

As fate wills, your time has come,
Along the ever-spinning wheel
The thread of life is spun.

And to the earth down falls the sun—
No light remains that darkness cannot steal.
As fate wills, your time has come.

Everything in life that you’ve won
Is for nothing—to death you must kneel
The thread of life is spun.

Cold air up your spine seems to run
A small chill, a shiver you feel
As fate wills, your time has come.

Your days on Earth are done
Time demands you break death’s seal
The thread of life is spun.

Life and death are one--
You pass through at the midnight bell’s peal
As fate wills, your time has come;
The thread of life is spun.