Answering a Child’s Question

So you ask why do we die?
I ask, why do we live?
Immediately regretting
my hasty existential
retort, as your eyebrows
dichotomise.
We live because we
are born – your
sensible reply
And as such we die
I say
moving no further on.
You see only life ahead
and I see only death.
When does it come to that
I ask?
You rub your eyes
and sigh, then forget.