Choice - By Caitlynn van lingen

Written By: Caitlynn van lingen

Category: Poetry

Competition: Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026

Caitlynn van lingen brings contemplative depth to the Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026 with her poem "Choice." As part of the poetry category, "Choice" invites readers into a nuanced exploration of existential themes, reflecting on the choices we face about afterlife and the cyclical nature of existence. This thought-provoking work engages with the profound decisions that shape our understanding of life and beyond, encouraging readers to ponder alongside the poet.

About the Work

"Choice" by Caitlynn van lingen invites readers into a reflective meditation on the nature of afterlife and the existential weight of choices. The poem’s contemplative tone and vivid imagery evoke a sense of introspection, offering a philosophical exploration of rebirth, nothingness, and the human condition. With its rich and complex narrative, the work challenges conventional perceptions, leaving a lasting impression on its audience.

Choice

Original Submission by Caitlynn van lingen

Choice

If I had a choice, a fickle flake of hope that I ponder with as I sit in the bathtub, choice of afterlife, choice of nothingness, choice of rebirth, choice of heaven or hell or purgatory. I might choose nothingness, a calm and swelling notion that soothes the aches in my muscles, as they soak. I would despise rebirth, my wish to depart this cruel reality just to be spat on and sent straight back into, as fresh as a babe again and innocent, ready to learn of the tortures to come. Relearning, redoing, rediscovering and absorbing the violent truth in a cycle, as my fingers prune and show me what will never come. Age is an arbitrary notion of milestones to be met to achieve success and satisfaction. With each decade you are promised a new freedom, a new bait that dangles above your teeth that you must grab and carry on with, let it satiate you and wait for your next scrap or bone of hope. You will collect these bones and become the bone thrown to the dogs younger than you, you will become an example of resilience and rewards reaped, not showing the maggots eating at your flesh as you claw your way across winter green grass to a hole dug by strangers for your box of clothes and fluids and empty space. The afterlife is a lie sold to fools that endure or live to pull wood out of their fingers and bandage slices from the endless paper pile, humanity swears is art or news or law or science. Heaven forbid a brain ruminates on cloudy landscapes and peaceful bliss brought on by some powerful being. Hell is a tool, a tool of coping for victims of the atrocities I seek to drown out of my ears as they blur the sounds of cars passing and dogs barking outside my window. Hell is a tool of control used by the innocent and used against the free for daring to be different. What use is a threat if not to control. Purgatory exists to warn. It lies in between lines of pity and hatred. Babies not baptized linger there for the sins of their parents for being too busy or too lazy or too far removed from the useless words of man parroted as God. The sin of death is the greatest I’ve heard, to bring it upon another and upon oneself. But if my soul is merely a borrowed trinket to a deity then rather let him find it on the bottom of a coin fountain or between rocks and sea glass, a token of a story that was lived begrudgingly and given back to the sea by choice. Choice is the greatest sin. The unforgivable sin that is to choose the end of suffering and therefore choose the unknown. I am merely a scientist choosing to explore the depths of the ocean as the salt eats away at my skin and the currents take me wherever it is that restless souls go to when god or fate or science has chosen which form of ending is most suitable for the sin of choice.

About the Competition

The Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026 by Hashtag Kalakar is a celebration of literary talent and creativity from around the world. This prestigious competition offers writers a platform to share their unique voices and perspectives, contributing to a global dialogue through the art of poetry and creative writing. Participants are encouraged to express their deepest thoughts and emotions, fostering a community of literary excellence.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Caitlynn van lingen for her poignant contribution to the Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026. Her poem "Choice" offers a profound exploration of themes that resonate deeply, inviting readers to reflect and engage with the complexities of existence. We are grateful for her participation and look forward to seeing more of her insightful work in the future.

About Hashtag Kalakar

Hashtag Kalakar is a creative platform dedicated to providing artists, writers, singers and other creative talents with opportunities to showcase their work and reach wider audiences through competitions, features and creative initiatives.