How to Live Forever

If you want to live forever
some will tell you,
                  “Don’t die.”

Others might advise you
to move to Minnesota
for the clean air and hibernation.

Me?
                  I try to eat right
and get some exercise.
But I need more convincing
to believe eternal life in one body
is the reason we’re here.

Try not to focus on any one word.
All of them will melt under scrutiny.

Those animal bones you found
don’t mean a damn thing.
                  The soul is gone.

If you’re trying to find yourself,
it’s better to ask a tree
                  than him or her or me.

Consciousness is a strange thing –
                  it can’t be mapped,
                  prefers silence,
                  and is amused by questions like,
“Am I getting warmer?”

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This poem was written on November 14, 2025.