At the sound of thunder
on a dark september day
a child in the tall grass
on the cliff by parsonage way
drops his satchel on the hilltop
makes a b-line back to town
wonders what his house would look like
if the walls came tumbling down
he contemplates the thunder
as a clap sounds out again
he contemplates an empty street
emptied out of men
he contemplates an empty world
where humans never came
and considers what the world will look like
when humans are gone again
he takes a moment to stop
just before his home
and watch the thunder crack ribbons
in the sky's celestial dome
his final thought shakes him
like a nightmare cartoon
'I wonder how much time is left
who can tell me how soon?'
