Three Sounds At The End Of The World

Elliot had just two -

bangs and whimpers -

and he favoured whimpers, 

just one long whimper.

But perhaps the whimper(s) came first,

not one but many.

Or perhaps they’re already here,

have been here for a long time

as we live,

happily or not, 

through the ending of time.

All together now.

Then there’s his discounted bang

and there are many of those,

as states seek to defend themselves

from each other.

And each is bang bigger than the last

as bang production grows

in perpetual popularity.

All together now.

But he forgot the scream(s),

surely a necessary third.

Listen.

The (temporary) survivors are screaming,

the children, the old and the young

united in their humanity

but screaming

like the cats

screaming and scrounging

smart survivors,

like the gulls overhead,

(the silent fish are long gone),

just three screaming survivors at the end.

Just three loud sounds.

And, as Becket might have said,

there’s no cure

for being 

there

at the ending of the Earth.

All together now.

https://poetsonline.org/archive/arch_threeattheend.html