Shuttered windows.
Sealed envelopes.
Locked doors.
Closed tombs.
Folded arms.
Cold certainty.
Point taken.
Decision made.
Full stop.

... and yet rosebuds,
      tiny tight flower-fists,
            unfold into glory ...
... eggs hatch ...
... seeds sprout ...
... babies are born ...
... mountains crumble ...
... infinity stays out of reach ...
... old stories flow onward ...
... new stories begin ...
... world without end ...