Humbled by time upon this ground
beneath these skies—these stars aligned
with eternity and the moon’s rise,
by whatever sets events of chance
in motion, that chain reaction
lucky stumblebums know is beyond
their doing or direction—we have been
chosen to survive, to learn our lessons
before we decompose and start over again
as something less complex, yearning only
for the sun and rain. A man can
start early, revel in the weather, dance
among goddesses and hobgoblins alike,
knowing nothing will stay the same
beneath this ball of firelight.
They propose life on other planets,
in other galaxies, that learn in the same
way—some confined to immortal lives.
