A Little Thing Called Life

I once climbed a redwood tree,

but only to see the fallen leaves

that lay there beneath me.

Though I found myself alive,

I knew I would one day die,

and I’d fall with a heavy sigh.

The journey to the redwood’s peak

left no more for me to seek,

and I was left alone, and weak.

I had done everything I wanted to,

and yet I felt sad and somewhat blue,

though I hadn’t yet been to the moon.

I knew I would never go,

though I’d still a bit of hope

that I’d meet her heavenly glow.

And I had doubts of what was next,

though I knew that it would be best

to lay all my dreams down to rest.

Though upon this lonely tree,

I’d lost my way, and couldn’t see

the person I was meant to be.

And till my very last day,

I’d no more I needed to say,

as I watched all the leaves decay.

Time, I saw, was just as alive

as perhaps you, or as I.

And I thought it was a lie.

And I then realized

what this was, this lie.

It was a little thing called life.

Reviews

[ReedWrite]

Very interesting piece.
I love the flow...the easy read of it...yet the words contradict that feeling. They are heavier than they appear at first. I like the simple rhyming pattern. It creates another level of dissonance between the feel of the poem, and its actual gravity...and with a poem like this, I think that's what you want to generate. A sense of unease amid the gently flowing words...a building unease...which is brought home with a punch as we read that last stanza. ...I then realized what this was, this lie. It was a little thing called life.
Very powerful statement. Nice job.