THIS...is the END...of the UNIVERSE
Endless nothingness
Utter silence
Complete, all-encompassing blackness
Eons pass. They are mere moments to the cosmos
A dazzling flash
Atoms vibrate in time to the rhythm of the universe
Molecules form, linked by unbreakable bonds
Stars blaze, sending rays outward, illuminating the vacuum
Arranged together, the stars shine within their galaxies, forming the teeth in broken smiles
Innumerable galaxies, each with their own precious planetary systems
YOU ARE HERE
The Orion Arm of the Milky Way Galaxy within the Virgo Supercluster
Oort Cloud, Sol System. Planet: Earth
Photosynthesis devours Carbon Dioxide and exudes Oxygen
Climates change, rising and falling like the ocean tides
Epochs pass, seen by man as entire tomes, but mere paragraphs to the universe
New lives begin. Life endures, marking the planet as its own
Some species die out while others thrive
Humans dominate, continuing their reign for thousands of years
They take pride in their cities and towns. Extol their infrastructure
Men and women applaud their advancements and sing the praises of their ingenuity
Babies are born while the elderly pass on
Children play in the streets
Friends gather in bars
Families grow together, sharing meals, memories, and experiences
Laughter, rage, and sorrow permeate the air in equal measure
You are content and consider yourself lucky
You try not to dwell on the bad times, but they ring through your mind as you try to fall asleep
In daylight, negative thoughts disappear like forgotten dreams
Life is good but it could be better. You pray it does not become worse
You focus on your relationships. Your home. Your job
You set goals for yourself
You strive to improve
You follow your passions
You write until your hand cramps
Read until your eyes blur
Sing until your voice falters
Run until you are breathless
You revel in the challenge
Bathe in your sense of accomplishment
You continue to chase fulfillment
Times are tough but you forge ahead
Gratitude is fleeting but its vitalness is never completely lost
Failures, though inevitable, slow you down
You push past your failings, lest they drag you under
Success, no matter how minor, nourishes you
You press on
You watch clouds pass overhead
You track shooting stars as they streak across the heavens
You stop to smell the roses
You feel the raindrops on your skin
You fall asleep to the sound of the storm
You wake to the Sun's warm light
Cool air caresses your skin
You wish. You wonder. You worry
You dream. You dare. You dance
You forget, only to remember days later in an anxious flash
You make time for the things that matter
You make room for that which brings you joy
You push past those things that hold you back
You try not to dwell on the past
The future holds potential, but you linger in the present
You reach for possibilities and hold on dearly to what you already possess
Life goes on
There are busy days and lazy nights
There are tranquil mornings and hectic evenings
Weeks and months stretch out before you
Seasons pass in their cycles
Time is short but love is everlasting
THIS...IS EARTH...AS YOU KNOW IT
Time is short but love is everlasting
Seasons pass in their cycles
Weeks and months stretch out before you
There are tranquil mornings and hectic evenings
There are busy days and lazy nights
Life goes on
You reach for possibilities and hold on dearly to what you already possess
The future holds potential, but you linger in the present
You try not to dwell on the past
You push past those things that hold you back
You make room for that which brings you joy
You make time for the things that matter
You forget, only to remember days later in an anxious flash
You dream. You dare. You dance
You wish. You wonder. You worry
Cool air caresses your skin
You wake to the Sun's warm light
You fall asleep to the sound of the storm
You feel the raindrops on your skin
You stop to smell the roses
You track shooting stars as they streak across the heavens
You watch clouds pass overhead
You press on
Success, no matter how minor, nourishes you
You push past your failings, lest they drag you under
Failures, though inevitable, slow you down
Gratitude is fleeting but its vitalness is never completely lost
Times are tough but you forge ahead
You continue to chase fulfillment
Bathe in your sense of accomplishment
You revel in the challenge
Run until you are breathless
Sing until your voice falters
Read until your eyes blur
You write until your hand cramps
You follow your passions
You strive to improve
You set goals for yourself
You focus on your relationships. Your home. Your job
Life is good but it could be better. You pray it does not become worse
In daylight, negative thoughts disappear like forgotten dreams
You try not to dwell on the bad times, but they ring through your mind as you try to fall asleep
You are content and consider yourself lucky
Laughter, rage, and sorrow permeate the air in equal measure
Families grow together, sharing meals, memories, and experiences
Friends gather in bars
Children play in the streets
Babies are born while the elderly pass on
Men and women applaud their advancements and sing the praises of their ingenuity
They take pride in their cities and towns. Extol their infrastructure
Humans dominate, continuing their reign for thousands of years
Some species die out while others thrive
New lives begin. Life endures, marking the planet as its own
Epochs pass, seen by man as entire tomes, but mere paragraphs to the universe
Climates change, rising and falling like the ocean tides
Photosynthesis devours Carbon Dioxide and exudes Oxygen
Oort Cloud, Sol System. Planet: Earth
Orion Arm of the Milky Way Galaxy within the Virgo Supercluster
YOU ARE HERE
Innumerable galaxies, each with their own precious planetary systems
Arranged together, the stars shine within their galaxies, forming the teeth in broken smiles
Stars blaze, sending rays outward, illuminating the vacuum
Molecules form, linked by unbreakable bonds
Atoms vibrate in time to the rhythm of the universe
A dazzling flash
Eons pass. They are mere moments to the cosmos
Complete, all-encompassing blackness
Utter silence
Endless nothingness
THIS...is the BEGINNING...of the UNIVERSE
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51 comments
I saw the title and told myself surely he didn’t actually write a 1000+ word palindrome, that’s crazy. And then sure enough, you did. I’m honestly speechless. This is fantastic, I don’t have any critiques.
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This is amazing! I really enjoy reading all your poetic entries, and this one is probably my favorite. It fits the prompt so well and is so moving, in a way. I love anything written about the universe/space, so this really resonated with me. All the little things and big things in this poem add up to form a true masterpiece. Wonderful job!
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Thank you. I've been wanting to write a story that can be read in either direction for awhile and the universe seemed like a good frame on which to build the story. My other idea for a framework is Sysiphus pushing the boulder. One of these days maybe I'll write that one too. Appreciate your kind comments
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I actually also just tried my hand at story poetry :/ It's pretty bad. Actually, it's very bad. How're you doing lately? Any thoughts about these new prompts? I'm not feeling them
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I'm doing good. How are you? Yeah, the new prompts aren't immediately inspiring any ideas for me either. But I took this week off to recharge and didn't submit anything. So, I'm going to try to come up with something for this week.
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You write until your hand cramps Read until your eyes blur Sing until your voice falters Run until you are breathless I love that. I love this whole thing. Amazing job!
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Thank you
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This was incredibly unique and I couldn't stop pushing through it. The moments where your writing started to circle back gave me AHA! Vibes. I won't lie, when I went to read it again, I slowed down my inner dialogue voice and imagined it as a beautiful script to a space documentary.... It could totally be that!
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Thanks so much. For the comments and for taking the time to read it.
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Super creative, I never would have attempted this! That being said, since I knew it was a palindrome, after the middle my mind basically scanned over the rest, since I'd already read it. Probably more of a failure on my part than yours. Some phrases I thought were very creative. I especially loved the stars as broken teeth. Other lines I felt were a little cliche. And the lack of periods was off-putting, in my opinion. I probably wouldn't have even noticed it as much except for when a phrase had a few sentences with periods within it, and ...
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Appreciate your astute comments! Thanks :)
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Cool story! I like how you start at the VERY end/beginning and work around cyclically. I was especially intrigued by the jump into second person, as if I, the reader, were present for the eternal beginning and end. If you were going for a metaphysical commentary on the soul, well done. It's nicely supported by the cyclical nature of the piece and its hints at reincarnation. If not... consider a different POV. Very nice!
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I love this take on the prompt and the idea of life being circular. One idea I had would be to tweak the first and last sentence a little so that there might be a hint of rebirth as opposed to endless nothingness. That’s very likely just me struggling to come to terms with the end of the universe though and wanting there to be some glimmer of hope in the eternal void. I’m not even sure about this idea myself as I think each of the sentences are already perfectly formed as they are and that it makes this point overall anyway. However, I don...
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Thanks so much. I actually had the exact same thoughts. Originally, I had "singularity" as the first and last words, but decided to remove them. And Included those tags simply to communicate that the reader was starting at the end of the palindrome, so it fit the prompt. However, if I were to submit this piece elsewhere, I would certainly remove them. Thanks for the critique!
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No need to thank me. I really enjoyed reading it!
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I can only add my voice to the chore of praisers. Outstanding story!
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Hi Michael, It’s such a clever story you’ve given us. I read it several times and liked it more each time. Really great!
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Thanks!
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This is wonderful! Very unique story and easy to read. Great job!
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Thank you
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Wow—I am so impressed that you took this prompt and came up with a palindromic story. Amazing!
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Very poetic this week and, as always, very clever. :) great job!
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Brave angle to take, loved it.
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Hi Michael, another great story! Almost every line written feels like a different quote. I think you did a great job with the prompt and it was very creative. I tried this prompt but couldn't get it to work. I think overall you did a wonderful job!
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Thanks so much. I had several ideas for this prompt, but settled on this one. I've been wanting to write a story that can be read in either direction for awhile now.
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You did a great job, my friend :)
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Every single line is gorgeous. The second-person tense was a really nice touch for me. It feels really all-encompassing, but tailored to the small moments as well.
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Thank you!
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Wow. I am astonished by your talent. This kept me on the edge of my seat and it read at a quick pace. The short sentences brought forth so much meaning and truth. I related to many lines in here. I liked how you formatted it, too and how the title expressed it. Just brilliant.
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Thanks so much
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I love it. I found it very moving, inspired and inspiring.
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Thanks so much
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Superb... Mind blown. Your creative ability knows no limits. Can you bottle it up and send it my way! I really enjoyed it.
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Damn. Creative, I have to say.
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*screams in writer admiration*
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