obligations2.rb

#!/usr/bin/env ruby
# frozen_string_literal: true

i = 0
poem = DATA.read.split("\n").select { |s| s.start_with?('>') }
poem.each_with_index do |line, num|
  direction = rand(2) * (num > poem.size / 2 ? -1 : 1)
  options = line[1..].split('.')
  i = [[0, i + direction].max, options.size - 1].min
  puts options[i].strip
end
__END__

                              OBLIGATIONS 2
                          by Layli Long Soldier

>                                 As we
>                          embrace  .  resist
>               the future  .  the present  .  the past
>          we work  .  we struggle  .  we begin  .  we fail
> to understand  .  to find  .  to unbraid  .  to accept  .  to question
>          the grief  .  the grief  .  the grief  .  the grief
>                    we shift . we wield . we bury
>                       into light  .  as ash
>                           across our faces

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/149976/obligations-2