We boarded the pod together
for a trip of some time
and I would watch over the others
while counting all the atoms that formed the chamber
in which my friends would slumber

Many rings later
somewhere over there
a starburst
ribbons of deep red flowed into all the space towards us
then shockwaves of blue and green
hot white pitch
bleached away everything from sight
and hurtled us like a speck of seed from the cough of a giant
through this majestic expanse
of forever

After much time my friends revived
with the younger ones each having gained thirty million rings
not yet able to control the natural cycle
and I told them of our new home
within a hundred billion tonnes of stardust
already folding in on itself

Our pods were vast
enough to carry groves of mature ringed like me
and a fortunate few would find purchase on strange new worlds
on alien earth
binding so deeply through the crust
that after much time they would launch pods of their own

We were not as fortunate
trapped within the planet core
while the younger ones each gained another eighty million rings
waiting for the pod walls to collapse
and in that moment when it did
with all the crushing rock coming towards us
I hoped something would live on this world one day
and remember us