Skulls under the growth
On family trees
You see a tree?
I get the idea, my grandparents are the trunk, my parents branches, me a stick
My kids the leaves
I get the concept
I like the concept
Our family tree, a beautiful, growing thing
But
We are rooted in death
Are we not?
We could not— any of us— exist
If not for our ancestors
And all our roots
Are tangled together
Far enough back, my ancestors are YOUR ancestors
Some are killers and some are saints
What tree could be grand enough for such a family?
We are the whole forest
And the floor is packed with detritus of every single thing
We have ever
Eaten
There are skulls in the dirt!
Beneath all our growing weight
Some skulls still grin, with their teeth intact
My great grandma’s skull is there, under my tree
I know her name, I remember her face
And her embrace
Both of my grandfather’s skulls are there too
And I remember how weak they looked— these strong, ancient men—
I remember their frailty at the end
Crumbling bark, falling branches
Fingers like brittle twigs
Voices that trembled like leaves in the wind
Now these men are the substrate
To which so many roots cling
And there are other, deeper skulls
Toothless
Nameless
Yellowed by time
Cracked by the weight of so many trees
And what of the dirt? Fallen leaves that have rotted away
Atoms transferred
From one being, to the food web
My atoms are not new
They might shift and bond in dynamic ways, making and remaking molecular change
But my atoms have been in motion since the dawn of time
So are they really mine?
No
Every single part of me belongs to the universe
Trillions of tiny portions of the cosmos,
Merely on loan to me,
For now but not for long
Before me these atoms were on loan to a triceratops
Or a jellyfish
What creature of the forest shall have these atoms next?
One day my skull shall fall and be buried in leaves and the leaves shall rot and my skull shall yellow and the roots shall grow over my brow and through my empty sockets and my bones shall be crushed like seashells beneath the weight of my nameless descendants.
All the pieces of me shall be taken as due, my atoms shall be in the flowers and in the bugs and in the smiles of new and distant children and even in the dusts that breeze across the earth.
My debts shall be forgiven
I shall be forgotten
My distant family will thrive with no memory of me
Until my last descendent falls
My entire bloodline is only a temporary participant in this marching forest
And the forest shall pay no heed to any one tree
After all
My atoms
And your atoms
They were only ever
On
Ecological and universal
Loan
Ours for now but not ours for long
…
Really
…
Not
…
Ours
…
At all
About the Creator
Sam Spinelli
Trying to make human art the best I can, never Ai!
Help me write better! Critical feedback is welcome :)
reddit.com/u/tasteofhemlock
instagram.com/samspinelli29/
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insight
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Keep reading
More stories from Sam Spinelli and writers in Poets and other communities.
Comments (32)
This is such a powerful and moving piece, Sam! I love the way you invoked a deep sense of belonging to the wild mystery while exploring the promise of death - that nothing in the end is ours to keep. Thank you for striking my soul with your words in such a magical way.
Absolutely love this. "Before me these atoms were on loan to a triceratops" If only more humans could comprehend our intricately woven atoms and that what we do to others, we do to ourselves. Congrats on your win.
I read this at work shortly after you posted it and I realized the other day that I never gave you any feedback— came back today and saw that it had placed on the leaderboard! Congratulations, on your placement. You took “we are all stardust” and made it an even more beautifully layered sentiment.
Sam Spinelli, the part about our atoms being "on loan" is just...wow. It’s a bit spooky but honestly so beautiful.Makes me think about my own grandparents too. 🌳✨
I love this idea that we are all connected not only to each other through our shared ancestry but also to everything that has existed through shared atoms. So profound and wonderfully written. Congratulations on a very well deserved Runner Up placement!
Beautiful poem. I love the idea of how we are all connected through our roots and how our atoms are ours for a short time only.
"We are the whole forest"- Yes, I love this, and I love this even more: "Every single part of me belongs to the universe" Congratulations, Sam, on your top story and entry win❣
Congratulations, Sam!
Wooohooooo congratulations on your win! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊
Congratulations on runner-up!
congrats on placement
Well thought out and written from a unique perspective. Congratulations!
Congratulations 🎊
I LOVE this! Especially the stanza “One day my skull shall fall…” Congrats on Top story!
Very Nice
The analogy of entangled roots for connected lives especially resonates with me. Atoms... energy... all on loan to create form but never destroyed. Awesome poem, Sam. I freaking love how it begins. ⚡️💙Bill ⚡️
Beautifully written — dark, honest, and weirdly comforting. The whole idea that we’re not just one tree but an entire forest of history, mistakes, love, and ancestry hits deep. The imagery of “skulls under the growth” really lands.
I love this, a true family tree. It's important to me, to know I'll be taken back into the world and redistributed. It makes it feel like I get to stay and always was and therefore it's fine that I am.
love this
Naice
That blend of science, philosophy and raw emotion is masterful. Every line carries weight.
Back to say congratulations on your Top Story! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊
I get the concept I like the concept
wow really intriguing-congrats on ts
We are all stardust, and the shapes it takes are so momentous and fleeting. Great poem, Sam, well-deserved TS.