This American Life

a poem

Photo by Arthur Savary on Unsplash

I would live an American life
if I had more lives
but that is not who I am

maybe if I’m reborn
or if I was a cat
I’d spend my life in a backyard
catching helpless rats.

But I have big questions
the stars and stripes only answer
the millions of people
who don’t know what to ask

while ancient ruins
in a faraway land
tell me I will die,
and I’d rather be aware of that fact.

To know you will die is to truly live
grieve every loss, you will find happiness
it will emerge out of its cubbyhole
like an ancient statue washed up on shore.

Thank you for reading! If you want to support more of my content or get in touch, check out these links.

Join Medium with my referral link — Matt Dwyer