D

E

C

A

Y

Her face becomes the moon

And his the sun

Tiny grains of seed are carried on the wind and they stick, willful on my skin

Planted in the pockets of my pores. One begins to sprout and soon I am consumed by the defiant tendrils of my captor – I become it and it becomes me and the stench of destruction overwhelms

Microscopic mouths all around devour and in death there is life but soaked in suffering

Watch a body decay

In death, organic substances are broken down into simpler matter; carbon dioxide, water, simple sugars and mineral salts. The nutrient cycle this forms part of is essential for recycling the finite matter that occupies physical space in the biosphere. Bodies of living organisms begin to decompose shortly after death. Animals, such as worms, also help decompose the organic materials. In death, these bodies sustain life through regenerative cyclical processes.

Taphonomy is the science which studies decomposition, from the Greek word taphos, meaning tomb. Decomposition can also be a gradual process for organisms that have extended periods of dormancy.

I am confronted daily with the inevitability of decay. Our warming planet, my changing body, the bodies of those around me. An onion in my bowl has grown thick green shoots, a tomato in the fridge is patterned with a thin layer of mould. My mind is gnawed away by repetitive thoughts, corroding my neural networks.


Entropy is an inevitable condition of existence