Endless Talk of Floods
Consumed with talk of floods
I sit watching the rain,
Dry as a bone. Outside
People are looking for places to hide.
My books all say
The human race is doomed,
The end is above us
Like clouds hanging over an afternoon.
The television oracles agree
The world will end soon.
There's footage of houses
Uprooted, floating like boats,
Graphs depicting tectonic plates,
Shifting tides
And strange radioactive winds.
I too am sharpening my pencil,
Watching the cloud formations
And the circling of birds
Ready for the immanent downpour.
I sit watching the rain,
Dry as a bone. Outside
People are looking for places to hide.
My books all say
The human race is doomed,
The end is above us
Like clouds hanging over an afternoon.
The television oracles agree
The world will end soon.
There's footage of houses
Uprooted, floating like boats,
Graphs depicting tectonic plates,
Shifting tides
And strange radioactive winds.
I too am sharpening my pencil,
Watching the cloud formations
And the circling of birds
Ready for the immanent downpour.
Elaine Booth
Mon 21st Mar 2011 21:17
I loved the understated way your poem addresses the horrific recent events. "I too am sharpening my pencil" is superb - pen mightier than the sword and all that.