(I'm at the end of ninety-five),
And I feel that I should write a thankful verse,
But years pale when compared to the immense
Numbers used, when making sense
Of the workings of our universe:
Andromeda, far away,
Neighbor of our Milky Way,
Sends light, and when it reaches our shore,
It takes 100 million years
To arrive from there to here -
We look at what happened long before...
Insects live a day or two,
When they've mated, they are through,
Dying, once they their destiny fulfill;
As we know from their rings,
Trees survive a hundred springs,
And enjoy their sedentary thrills.
And to help to stay alive,
As we struggle to survive,
And our consciousness to help sustain,
Our neurons help perceive,
How our daily lives we live,
Millions – trillions- neurons in our brain.
So, our human long-life span
Is but a flash in Nature's plan -
Realize it's but a lucky bag of tricks,
When by a quirk of fate,
We our birthday celebrate,
And we start anew at ninety-six!...