I gradually learned to die
By watching the world around me;
A steady erosion of my
Expectations until I grasped
The real meaning of nothing.
The mountain taught me everything
Will return to dust over time.
Seemingly eternal, I watched
The elements wear him down till
He simply ceased to exist.
The forest showed me solitude.
I learned that I would be alone,
Despite being surrounded by
Wooden towers full of life
And all the other animals.
Flowers taught me the transience
Of beauty and frailty of life.
The proudest blossom still withers.
They decompose in the soil
Or get pinned to a lapel.
The ocean reminded me that
Everything inclines towards calm.
The susurrus of the tide breaks
Against the implacable shore
And fades away, then lies still.
Time, the abstract now concrete, moves
Me inevitably towards
Entropy; the dissolution
Of the structure of my being.
I expected nothing less. | DS