The Descent of Man

by Mike Nagel

My dad said that in the last weeks of his life, my grandfather went from eating solid food to eating baby food to eating nothing at all. A whole life in reverse. It reminded me of a poster I'd seen once, done in the style of those human evolution drawings. On the left side was a baby in its cradle. On the right side was an old man in his grave. In the middle was a man standing upright, in the prime of his life.