Oblivion

At various points of a given week of mine, I'll find myself playing through one of two songs in my head: either Ludwig Goransson's "Can You Hear The Music" from Nolan's Oppenheimer or Hans Zimmer's "First Step" from another Nolan film, Interstellar. If a takeaway can be gleaned from my obsessive looping, it's that Nolan's oeuvre boasts a fabulous array of epic themes.

I woke up on Tuesday morning, January 16th, with both on the queue. Invigorated and inspired by the tracks, my mind quickly went to existential places. I thought, at first, of space and time and their beginning, and then, how human life fits into that narrative. Those thoughts stuck with me all day. Intermittently, I would stop and write something down, until I had pieced together a poem.

I didn't end up going to bed that night (or following day) until twenty minutes till three. The next day was a groggy one, but well worth it. Anyway, here it is:

Oblivion

Somewhere among the stars, is an infinitesimally small singularity 
A fixed pinprick, stowed away in the shadows of the cosmos
Who authored the universe and the time that binds it
Some believe it is a physical place, and that science can find it
By either man or machine
Others believe it to be pure myth, fiction, or an occurrence from long ago
Whatever maybe, one thing is certain: 
All question it, and long for answers
Humanity has sailed the expanse, but never farther than what can be seen from Earth
The heavens are untamed, and will swallow and consume
The raging storm of fire, ice, and emptiness of deep space
Will stop at nothing to prevent those who seek the world’s end
Where all matter divulged, ballooned, expanded, and turned over

Where the universe began, oblivion.

In a single day, an estimated 385,000 human life forms are conceived on Earth
Right now, at this specific millisecond, a sperm and ovum 
have sought each other out and joined together
Two minuscule organisms converged, unbeknownst to all
From there, thousands of multiplying cells explode, clamber, and unite 
Numerous vessels with varied identities and tasks, all coalescing together under a single goal
To create, construct, and shape something new 
A human’s life is fostered and sculpted for months before entering into the world,
Yet one fraction of a second is behind it all 
A singular moment, with an entire life in its hands

Where a human is first formed, oblivion.

The womb, like the expanse of the heavens, is dark and hollow
Surely color and matter exists inside, yet our memory has shrouded that notion
There’s security in the infinite darkness, despite the confinement 
A safety and warmth in limbo and mere survival 
Complete reliance, zero responsibilities, pure existence
Seemingly forever, and yet, not
Somewhere, somehow, at the moment of nativity
A curtain splits, light and life from darkness
The first step.

Where a human is born, oblivion.

The light of a child’s first day is full of bliss and kindness
Sympathetic to the naivety before it
With the dawn, however, that light dims, fades, and grays
Life loses its preciousness
Moments and miracles become commonplace, magic to malady
Time stretches until it’s routine 
A Sisyphean burden to bear; unending and intensive
Our lives that we push up an infinite hill every day like clockwork
Only to watch them roll back down
Another day, another mountain
Somewhere at the summit is a perfect equilibrium for our suffering
The eventual resting place, finish line, and journey’s end
The next step. 

Where a human’s life concludes, oblivion.

Surely, the solution we crave can be found in life?
We desperately seek to learn beyond the realm of the known,
to push the boundaries of our imagination, of our bodies and selves
Every day, we challenge ourselves to live anew
To push forward, and never return
To look up at the sky and stars in wonderment, rather than down at the dirt
Somewhere, somehow, the river of space, time, and life itself can be found
Behind the faraway peaks, beyond the horizon, and past the stretching shores and waves
Rest things so unfathomable and unquantifiable, yet so integral to understanding 
Maybe that place exists; beyond this life, ourselves, and the stars
Maybe we’ll find it, in this lifetime or the next 
When the last light flickers out, and the curtain tears
The final step.

Where every answer resounds, oblivion.