Still Life With Skull By Paul Cezanne 1898

All things settle down to rest eventually Time passes, energy evaporates Gravity dictates connection with the ground It's still life even when past There's presence in the scene felt Never fully dissapating The most vibrant moment Impossible to discern Until the decline evident Life exists on the circular Passing on Seeding or leaving an imprint for the next The bones just a visual, tangible reminder Yet the detail has faded from sight An emptiness felt, a need to look elsewhere Wooden table, skull, fruit, cloth... All evidence of life With varying emotivity The light hits Just as darkness consumes A necessary contrast As we observe and ponder still life Whilst it all changes, moments lost to time Unrecoverably ticking away We wish we used time wisely once it's gone Reflect in paintings it standing still Unsatisfactorily capturing two dimensions To sit and stare at all stages of life Observe everything and nothing Simultaneously What is wasted time Even rotting is productive But nobody wants to end on that