Was There Ever a Telos

By Arnav Mishra

Does life have a destination,

Was it all a walk in the living sands,

Devoid of any bearing,

As we wander the time lost lands.

Did we ever come to life,

If there was such a thing,

Did it ever have meaning,

Watching the nightingales sing.

Did we ever have a purpose,

A path that we could ever follow,

Was there ever any justice,

What you shall reap, so shall you sow.

Was there ever any qualia,

The sensations of starlight,

Thast has together conjoined for us,

And shine brightly we might.

Did it ever have meaning,

To gaze at the stars across the sky,

To be at peace without yearning,

To love to live and to die.

Why did this miracle grace us ,

Of chance infinitesimal,

What of the other stars,

Destined to the largest decimal.

From the chaotic deep we came,

To learn the ways of the Earth,

To experience the joys of our ascension,

As we abandon our sacred hearth.

Then slowly we shall walk,

Towards the river Lethe,

Through the black poplar trees,

Towards the veil of death.

Did we gaze into the abyss,

Through matter’s veil,

In search of purpose and meaning,

Headed towards that distant dale.

By Arnav Mishra