...All I remember was
Cancer and my hospital room,
My green gown, my bed,
My white hair and mustache
Until suddenly...

...Reality started to stretch…

…And flatten into a brief euphoric white…

…I felt a cathartic release
As I was encapsulated and bathed
In a glorious sensation…

...I floated for an eternity…

…Until I felt my euphoria lifting…

…As my eyes reopened
I found myself gazing
Upon a room of tiny lights,
Blue and pink specs
Dotting the inner workings
Of large wall sized machines…

…They lifted me upright
In a gray metal chair
And with sharp robotic groans,
A long arm from the wall
Held up a mirror to my face...

...In the reflection was a young man
I thought I would never see again…

…I had a wife back before,
But now I have a new one
Everybody in my situation,
("Reborns", as they are called)
Has brand new things and people
Filling their lives and concerns
They bring nothing with them
When they make their returns...

…Every morning I wake up
On the west 402nd floor
Of a residential tower
Next to my slim, youthful wife
And the trails of flying cars
That populate our view
From our wall-spanning window
As they soar through the city…

…I was told of technology,
Created and discovered
That could reawaken people
Who, like me, had died
In an earlier era and time…

…It’s strange that my past,
In all its importance and meaning,
Memories, friendships and scenery,
Seems to no longer be of concern,
Now that I have all this…

…I love what was, very dearly,
But the life I live now is for me.
I have new children, knowledge,
Friends and technology…

…I’m quite sure it’s possible
That old family members
That passed before me
Could exist in the same place
That I now live and find myself…

…But I can’t be certain,
Maybe they live further,
Deeper, in an unknown future
That I can’t even comprehend…?

…All I know is that, like me,
They have a new life somewhere
So I’ll do what I tried to do
My first time around…

…I’ll continue to grow and live on
In this new, world-spanning cityscape
Fueled by the love and memory
Of a past life remembered
only by me...