are we all doomed to be measured
by not the achievements of ourselves
but those who came before us?

will all of our advancements
and personal betterment
mean much to little in the shadow
of the “golden age” we’ve past?

the apple doesn’t fall far they say
sometimes as a compliment
others as an indictment
as we are creatures of comparison

but the question i poise
is if the apple fell to become
something greater than its origin
because it was fraught with rot