The last thing we want is for life to remain
the same — out of our desire for things to change,
we imagined death, and it’s still our greatest creation.
We can barely tolerate a movie which extends
beyond an hour and a half, much less a life
which just continues on indefinitely.
We count the bodies from the latest disaster.
Wars are cause for national celebrations, we like
to stand in the cemetery, pondering what comes after.
What troubles the family is when the relative
just lingers on and on, instead of simply discarding
their body like a good actor and hurrying off the stage.
We assign expiration dates to our food so we’ll know
when they are no longer viable. Perhaps someday
we’ll get stamped at birth with similar codes.
That would clear up any confusion — when it’s time
to go, we need not puzzle about our fate; after all,
it’s clear enough, we’d already know the date.
Feeling To Infinity 