Heathcote Williams

There has to be an Afterlife

There has to be an afterlife, since matter Can neither be created or destroyed. So, fear not, you’ll continue. According to physics Your future presence is definitely required. Look, here’s an atom once breathed by Socrates; There’s another breathed by Van Gogh. Inhale deeply, you can morph into a Neanderthal. Every second new afterlives are kicking off. The physicist, Ilya Prigogine, believed that atoms Make conscious decisions in a conscious existence, Enabling the atomic thoughts in your head that are you To enjoy an immortal persistence. His theory means that the ‘now’ can go on forever, And that its swirling thought forms may linger - So essential distillations of our substance can be saved From their falling victim to fate’s fickle finger. Does all this conceal a road-bump for atheists? Could it hide an inconvenient truth? Do invisible parts of our being possess Encrypted secrets of eternal youth? When Vincent van Gogh was studying the Milky Way With candles perched on his hat He meditated on each billion-year-old shining dot Spinning through the starry night. He believed that the heavens were our future destination And he declared, ‘we take death to reach a star.’ Now that there’s stardust in every single cell of our body More mystery is added to knowing who we are. But in bereavement it’s a very great comfort To those who are feeling dispossessed

To consider that those they’ve known who’ve died Have simply changed their cosmic address.