<html aria-label="message body"><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div dir="auto" style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space; font-size: 22px;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">All The People Who Have Ever Lived</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Over 100 billion people have lived on Earth,</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">and nine in ten of them are no longer alive,</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">which means every morning we’re treading </span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">on their remains, almost all their graves</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">unmarked, their names </span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">forgotten. Even the dead </span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">privileged enough to have granite obelisks</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">launching out of their tombs—</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">even they’ve been </span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">sponged from the memories </span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">of those who ages ago knew </span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">what they liked for breakfast.</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Before too long, you and I will join</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">that anonymous host of billions.</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">But perhaps merely to have lived on this planet</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">where sunsets flare under rainclouds </span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">is an honor</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">we should accept</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">as if a VIP were pinning a medal on us,</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">warmly pressing our hand,</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">and thanking us</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">for our many years of dedicated service.</span><br><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>- Zack Rogow</span></div></body></html>