Life

A friend remarked that no matter how hard she tries, she can’t win. That got me thinking about life, mortality, and the old saying, “Life sucks…and then you die. This is the result:

Life is just a Red Queen’s race

You run and run to stay in place.

 

The road is long, the surface rough.

Your very best?  It’s just enough.

 

Each day a struggle, each a war.

With not a clue of what’s in store

 

But that’s okay, and I don’t mind

‘Cause Death, he marks the finish line.

Author's Note

Just for fun.

Reviews

[m_soulverses]

I really love the simplicity and impact of this poem! The 'Red Queen’s race' metaphor perfectly captures the exhausting cycle of life, and the rhyme scheme makes it flow effortlessly. The last two lines hit especially, it’s a dark but strangely comforting reminder that, no matter how relentless the race feels, there’s an inevitable end. Really well done!

[nj coleman]

The introduction of the red queen in the opening line gives your poem an initial feeling of being a light-hearted affair. Which soon turns into a darker, yet sadly realistic, portrayal of life. I like the book-ending of the poem with the red queen and death. It's very gallows humor: Brutal yet humorous. Nice work.

[Tatenda Chivhondo]

The poem is amazing and relatable,we face a lot of challenges, we overcome and so forth but we never give up until we are at the end of the road

[A.H.]

so true, running the race and staying the course till the finish line. we don't even know if it will all worth it but may be yes, why not? worth the chance. keep running, to stay in place. wonderful write, very thought provoking. Thanks JayG for this wonderful write, glad to read it!

[altIIneo]

Loving the rhythm and the narrative. Although on the flip side, the narrative that we have been fed and which they continue II (to) fuel about life being the enemy when i don't think that it is. Yes each of us has a cross that we have II (to) bear at some point, but at the heart life is benevolent.

[Baz]

This is exactly kind of poetry. Succinct, well metered and rhymed, and a good pay off at the end. More please.