Timeless Mortality Poem by Amelie Ison

Man cannot surpass dying—
He cannot live past his own death.
Power fades and falls. Like the tide,

It disappears. "My name is Ozymandias, king of kings, "
Is that not what Shelley's traveller said?

Yet, this infamous statue—a pillar of prowess—
Fell too, just like any other man. For power
Cannot live beyond a man's death. Immortality

Is false; a facade. Nothing can outlast nature
And time herself. Yet, the irony is palpable, for
Rameses II himself may not have survived beyond the grave,

But Shelley's famous poem is still known and read.

Shakespeare's own Romeo and Juliet is still beloved and cherished;
Even London by William Blake is still relevant today.

Is this not immortality? A creator living forever?

But reigns and empires and eras come to an end,
Just like these poets did. And, though we still hang on to their work,
Their influence is not what it used to be.