‘In the beginning there was darkness. And God separated the light from the darkness.’ Light must be the beginning of creation. Darkness, therefor; death. When we think of Heaven; we think of light. Pearly gates. Bright angles with bright halos. Why then is white snow often symbolic of death? Example; Robert Frost in ” Stopping by woods on a snowy evening.” I find this quite a paradox. Death, for me, is white. The great sleep. The great unknown. The answer to ‘”why are we here?” I think of death often and it comforts me. No more pain. The meaning of life. Quit, still, comfort. My husband hates that I’m constantly thinking of where I will be buried. I just want a good spot! Plus, I do not want to leave my child with burden. Everyone seems to fear death. THE END. I see it as the beginning! What an exciting adventure! Granted, I never pray for death, but I do pray for the physical pain to stop…would that not be death? Again; we are left with a paradox. Maybe the meaning of life is to understand this confusion. Perhaps it is different for everyone. Maybe the atheists had it right; and the religious are the fools. One day we all will know…or not. Maybe we just push up daisies. Either way, enjoy the now. Carpe diem. It’s gone in a flash! As Frost says, “Nothing Gold Can Stay.” My 35 years on Earth just leaves me more confused and in more pain every day. So many more are in worse pain than me! I want the answer. I can’t stand it! WHY so much pain to these specks of stardust called ‘humanity.’ We are a curious species. This self will thing is tough, Being AWARE is tougher. The bird doesn’t know it’s a bird. It’s just a bird. How lucky and cursed we are. To be human comes with a cost. The cost is being aware. Being curious. Never just being. The paradox continues. Today, try just being. It’s harder than you think. The paradox is always there, and it plaques this poet’s mind. When I find out the answer to these questions I will be long gone. “Nothing Gold Can Stay” even me. Though, I’m pretty sure I’m Purple not gold. So who knows? Have a great life and don’t think of the paradox. We’ll all find out (or not) eventually.