a spider
in a corner
cocooning
a beetle holding
remains of joy
in its jaws.
mice nibbling
final hopes
spilled across
a dusty
kitchen floor.
masses of wind
fling themselves against
windows that are
slowly but surely
giving in
to the battering.
on and on,
house by house,
block by block,
city after town
after farm after town
after city.
almost all of The People
have disappeared.
anyone left
expecting to hear
other voices
hears nothing
but the sounds of
earth scavenging
what’s left and
taking down the ruins.