What if we are already at the end.
The last planet in a dead universe
watching the echoes of eternity
play out through telescope lenses.
Despite the probes, the satellites,
maybe there is nothing left to find.
Someone, something else explored it all first,
planted their own flags
built their own marvels and wonders,
only to inch away into dust
before we even opened our eyes.
Tonight’s prompt for the Poetics Evening over at dVerse is ‘The End’. It’s funny, I was pondering this idea the other day and started wondering if we could be the last speck of light in a dying universe. It’s a somewhat depressing thought but as someone who spends their time buried in history it was interesting to think that the whole greater beyond could be just that, history already.
*The title is taken from Dylan Thomas’ poem.*
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Published by Carol J Forrester
Carol J Forrester is a writer and a history geek. Her debut collection 'It's All In The Blood' came out November 2019.
She has a 2:1 BA degree in history from Bath Spa University, enjoys judo at least twice a week, and tries to attend poetry events around the Midlands when she can.
Her flash fiction story ‘Glorious Silence’ was named as River Ram Press’ short story of the month for August 2014 and her short story ‘A Visit From The Fortune Teller’ has been showcased on the literary site Ink Pantry. Her poems ‘Sunsets’ and ‘Clear Out‘ were featured on Eyes Plus Words, and two of her poems were included in the DVerse Poets Pub Publication ‘Chiaroscuro’ which is available for purchase on amazon.Her poem ‘Until The Light Gets In‘ was accepted and published at The Drabble and her poem ‘Newborn’ was published by Ink Sweat & Tears.
She has been lucky enough to write guest posts for sites such as Inky Tavern and Song of The Forlorn and has hosted a number of guest bloggers on her site Writing and Works.
View all posts by Carol J Forrester
As we stumble along the road blinded by our greed it is a reasonable question to postulate. You did so admirably.
Thank you Paul. I was going to write a different poem and then I remember this and thought it would make a much better one.
it worked really well. Thanks for hooking up with us tonight.
Lovely
What a great poem and what a great title. What if…..indeed.
Thank you. I will admit I’m rather smug with the title.
I’m glad to hear that! 🙂
Sad but well done.
Thank you Nan. It’s always to hear from you. 🙂
I think we’ve only started looking for other life forms. There might be creatures as you described who are now extinct but who could explore much as we do now.
Indeed. I was watching something the other day and all I could think about is how on earth do we know where we sit in the timeline of the universe. We are literally trying to measure something by our own rate of progression which could be completely wrong.
Thought-provoking. And what if this material world is no more than an expression of consciousness which cannot die because it lives beyond the material?
That’s a whole other can of worms my friend. It’s a beautiful and terrifying thought. The power of consciousness.
Oh, dark and dismal.
Thank you for commenting. It’s really interesting to see the different ways in which people have taken this piece.
I didn’t get a dismal sense from this — only a realistic philosophical question. If this is all there is, is it enough? For me, I think it is.
I think I’d be in the same boat. I’m content with what there is if that is it, but I don’t feel that dismal feeling. It’s simply curiosity and intrigue. In some ways it’s an excitement that everything that is possible isn’t waiting to be discovered but re-discovered.
A thought I’ve often pondered on. A sobering one, perhaps, but beautifully expressed in the lines:
‘watching the echoes of eternity
play out through telescope lenses’.
I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one who’s wondered about this. So often we see ourselves at the beginning of everything, but perhaps it’s the opposite and we’re the last chapter of the book.
“The last planet in a dead universe / watching the echoes of eternity”…A chilling thought that begins with ‘what if’.
It’s certainly sobering and lonely to think about. Thanks for commenting.
What an intriguing “what if?” An evocative write.
Thank you Beverly. Part of the brilliance of space is how little we do know and how much room there is to wonder on the possibilities.
Quite an original thought and a fascinating one to ponder. Love these lines:
“watching the echoes of eternity
play out through telescope lenses.”
Thank you, that seems to have been the most popular line. It was interesting to think about, if a little sad. It would open up a whole area of cosmic archaeology however.
Wow! That truly is something to think about. Thank you for your unique view.
we often wonder about this, after all we only have our own perspective.
We do indeed. The unknown gives us so much scope to wonder, it’s well… wonderful!