Apocalypse Nine

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: LIFE SONGS

Apocalypse Nine

 

The scorched earth

The barren earth

The ravaged land

The cracked earth

The land that became a roaring river

The poisoned earth

The land swallowed by the sea

The exploding earth

The land of endless storms

 

The horsemen are joined by five more

The wait and watch for seven signs

 

The signs are in the air

The signs are in the cosmos

The signs are everywhere

The gods of mercy have fled

The gods of destruction rise

 

The polar icecaps melt

The towers turn to babble

Fire brings the night to day

The enlightened lose their way

The church becomes the law

The streets are filled with blood

The flame of freedom extinguishes

The days of light are done

 

Apocalypse nine is counting

A wave of executions

Apocalypse eight is falling

The rage of humans rising

Apocalypse seven is waiting

The people gather arms

Apocalypse six is looming

The threat of nuclear war

Apocalypse five declaring

Freedom falls across the land

Apocalypse four is seething

Democracy be damned

Apocalypse three is pushing

Starvation in a land of plenty

Apocalypse two approaches

Surrounded we surrender

Apocalypse one

Done. 

 

Death Songs

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: LIFE SONGS

 

Death Songs

 

The Lakota, Cheyenne and Navajo

All sing their songs of death

At the hour of the reckoning

To welcome eternal rest

 

Big Foot sang at Wounded Knee

Frozen on the barren land

Black Kettle sang at Sand Creek

Where he made his final stand

 

As the sun sets on our varied lives

We seek a vision that will please

As basic as the call to prayer

That bends us to our knees

 

Dickinson sang her song of death

Praising nature and painting dreams

Freud sang his song of death

Its final notes neither heard nor seen

Mozart sang his requiem

Until it placed him in his grave

All the earthly saints sang prayers

One last soul to save

Whitman at the appointed hour

Sang of self and lovely flowers

Yeats sang of lovers lost

A lament of such a woeful cost

 

We sing our songs of soulful sorrow

Uncertain what will be tomorrow

But on the hour of our last day

We yield to bow our heads and pray

We sing of things we might have done

Battles lost and battles won

We dive into the deep unknown

Not knowing whether we have grown

Enough to make it right

We sing so long, farewell, goodnight

 

Eighteen Dead

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES

Eighteen Dead

 

If eighteen died at the hands of

Middle East zealots

They would mark the day

Build a monument and

Hold a three-day vigil

 

If eighteen died at the hands of

A MAGA militia

They would summon

The FBI and put the National

Guard on alert

 

If eighteen died at the hands of

A serial killer

We’d be greeted by national

Media coverage 24-7

Survivor interviews and

Expert speculation

 

If eighteen died by a natural

Disaster the nation would be

In perpetual mourning

 

Eighteen died of covid this month

(in our little corner of the world)

And nobody cared because

Covid does not exist

It ceased to be when the

Cameras turned away

 

Po Runs Dry

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: RIVER SERIES

Po Runs Dry

 

The waters that feed an ancient land

That fuel the farms and vineyards

From lush valleys to rolling hills

From heavenly gardens to fields of plenty

The river that has carved its way

Through granite mountains and forests

That has given a people life

In all its splendor

 

The River Po is running dry

And we know why

We all know why

 

Millennia of running waters

Millennia of winding through the earth

Millennia of streams and tributaries

Feeding a land of thirst

 

The River Po is running dry

And we know why

We all know why

 

How long before the whole of Italy

The land that gave us Dante

The land that nourished a great religion

A land rich in wine and fine cuisine

A land of superb architecture

A land of philosophy and culture

Alas becomes a barren wasteland

 

The River Po is running dry

And we know why

We all know why

 

Crash (Climate Change)

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CLIMATE CHANGE

Crash

 

The bright blue sky is falling

Bits and pieces of stars and comets

Come crashing to the ground

There is no place to run

The planet’s come unwound

Hide your head in terror

Do not make a sound

 

This world’s become unstable

Great towers crashing down

Get lost if you are able

Never ever to be found

The cities are all minefields

Seek refuge in the towns

 

Your prayers cannot help you

The cops are not around

The bright blue sky is gone now

Transformed to murky brown

The hope you had is buried

Prometheus is bound