As the old tired tree
Awaits the woodman’s axe
The ancient stolid rock
Withers into dust
And time crawls in the shadows
An executor without conscience
“Life is a blessing”
But maybe it is not
Life is work and weariness
Tragedy and tribulations
Yet beauty in evil
“Death is doom”
But maybe it is not
Death is like sleep
Rest for awhile
Death is not nothingness
As even in sleep we dream
Rebirth and renewal
Like the tree into useful tokens
The rock into fertile soil
A transition to restart a cycle
“Choose life”
But neither is our choice to make
For life with is forced on us
With its tragedies and tribulations
And even in death
We simply restart life
But if I could choose
Why should I choose life
For the doom of death
It is rebirth, renewal, refreshment
Rest; for awhile
And if death be like sleep
Why should I choose life?
By: Aisha Ibrahim
