Sempiternal / By Mallory Currie 

What must it be like  

To have no cares in the world  

Besides survival and offspring.  

And the search for immortality  

As an oak tree?  

 

No bills, no rent, no groceries  

No cooking, no philosophies  

But also, no reading, no laughter, 

No movies, no music, no joy 

No video games, no pets,  

No hugs, no kisses.  

 

But there’s storms,  

There’s droughts and floods.  

No mouth; loneliness.  

Progeny; but it’s acorns.  

 

There’s growth, reaching for the heavens, 

But instead of using rockets to touch the stars,  

Your limbs grow crooked as if to mimic lightning  

And you’re draped all over with Spanish moss for vanity 

And your roots knot deep in the earth,  

Clinging to life.  

 

Stuck in the moment,  

Only caring for the immediate,  

But built to last,  

Sempiternal, alone.