Sacrifice upon an Altar, a Ram ~ Friday, May 29, 2026

As if this lifelong life were all along

An afterlife,…

~ A.E. Stallings from The Fiftieth Danaid

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As if, at the end of this life, we die
such is this world, a giant question mark

if this world itself were heaven or hell
for money, we are told, one big fat lie

this may be it, one life to live, then done
how anyone could believe, (just a lark)
in good faith, in something else, ring a bell
something about an angel getting wings

livelong, livestrong, make money, or make none
in time, we outlive all our friends, alone
view this life as magic to celebrate
empty of all meaning, talk on the phone
little else left to do, why get irate
or get upset over nothing, what brings
nervous little people to the ocean
given outer space is a sea, in search

life, extraterrestrial life, a joke
in this world, they rob us blind, emotion
fills in the gaps, entertainment, we seek
exactly this, why be left in the lurch

were we the other animals, how broke
empty coffers at church, an offering
received, nothing for certain, God is weak
empty of all meaning but what we give

all this time, in faith, we seek the unknown
live and let live, celebrate life and live
let body and mind drop away, a stone

along the road, in a lake, altering
life itself with a decision to change
or rearrange, make otherwise, to shift
neglect the earth, without a care, a rift
gives us a chance, to sacrifice the strange