Work Text:
Afterwards
Afterwards, I’ll have no knowledge of the new world cradled by the ones after me,
the sheer magnitude of waves crashing against befallen rocks,
The throb of pain never experienced,
Silence never heard or mentioned,
Gurgles of new-borns as they dial down their movements after a fruitful meal,
Sleep now, my new-born child,
Sleep afterwards every afterwards,
And wake after every invigorating sleep.
I can’t help you become unmarked,
Soon, you’ll be able to go out to the sea,
There’s no telling when or how,
Maybe by the deception of the ones you care about,
But do not be fooled by the sea you scour,
Although without fail, it recovers without a scar,
A cunning craft covered by the synchronised bloodshed it has caused,
It has been stolen,
It has, will do, and forever has,
You’ll only be a meagre spot of red as the waves sweep you under,
Your scar will vanish without a blink.
What it is, is,
What will be, will be,
Afterwards, it is,
Afterwards, it will be,
Do not be lied to by the vastness of the world,
Every wave is important, everyone and everything has importance,
You are with worth,
With every waking, yes, it is true my newborn.
But I’m gone before I become an affliction to your living world,
Do not cry,
Just feel the world rock you to sleep,
Sense the universe and its immensity that only heightens your being as a diminutive speck amongst millions of others,
You will not be as catastrophic to others as you might think,
You are only you, and you can only be you,
Do not fight a battle that cannot be won,
A won one is nothing but a Pyrrhic victory.
Feel nature’s glory,
Feel the glory that amongst others that could be,
You are.
You are my glory,
Before, afterwards, and now,
My newborn baby.
Before, afterwards, and now.