Status Updates From Spoon River Anthology

Now I, an under-tenant of the earth, can see
That the branches of a tree
Spread no wider than its roots.
And how shall the soul of a man
Be larger than the life he has lived?

You may think, passer-by, that Fate
Is a pit-fall outside of yourself,
Around which you may walk by the use of foresight
And wisdom.
...
But pass on into life:
In time you shall see Fate approach you
In the shape of your own image in the mirror;