morning’s pale sliver
nearly unperceivable
the taste of yesterday, still heavy in the air
our 911 sent to God
radio waves prayed into space
an SOS from humanity
seeking absolution, deliverance from calamity
swallowed by the void
just beyond the stratosphere . . .
whatever’s left of it, anyway . . .
thermonuclear winter’s arrived
the escape spaceships never flew
diamonds couldn’t make them fly
we drank bottled water until we drowned
fences built around our towns
just mudslides where the last trees fell
bridges burn beneath our feet
blistered souls and ashened hopes . . .
still, we search for signs . . .
the sundial’s soot-stained face
wears no trace of time
another evening without smiles
or is it still just afternoon?
we, the weary, plod ahead . . .
lemmings leaping from a cliff
adrift in a sea of disbelief
frigid tides flow through our veins
calling out the Savior’s name
echoes spill into the waves
someone pulls the plug
with fingers clinging to our sins
one by one, we vanish
down the drain.
