Post Apocalypse

A short poem on the days after the apocalypse

The tumbleweed rolled in merry solitude across the desert sand
Whims and fancies of the erratic wind moved it in unpredictable ways
A swathe of tarmac cuts across the merciless desolation of land
Beating down with ever diminishing intensity are the sun’s rays

The tumbleweed hesitated an instant at the border with a changed terrain
Breezes choke and suddenly it stood still on the highway
Maybe it waited for succor in the form of rain
Where did the people go astray?

In the distance a horn sounded a mournful note
The last remnants of human habitation sent their defiant cry
Three children appeared on the road, each wearing a jacket, or is it a coat?
School’s out forever their clothes scream but with voices so dry

They trundle on in aimless turmoil
Only the long thin slice of humanity’s evidence kept them going
A rattle snake hissed its dissent unwrapping its coil
No beginning, no end to the road flowing

For water they searched with wild eyes and throats so parched
Hope dwindled as they came across the single vegetation
Tumbleweed continued its relentless march
A few drops are all they wanted as an aberration

Once a bustling town stood here in prosperity and pride
Today the inexorable passage of time and sand covered every crevice
The two wells stood sullen and dried
All that was left now were angry and buzzing flies

Many people visited in the days of glamor and glory
A temple so historic that it achieved international fame
The now sunken stone dome tells its own story
And the place of worship hides in the sand as if in shame

They recognized the place as this is where they were born
Familiarity gave way to realization that there was nothing
They came to the once bustling transport hub to see emptiness
And the bus and the tourists are gone