A stench hung
In the breeze,
And the smell
Of decay carried
From distant
Valleys.

Carrion birds
Circled overhead,
And the bare rocks
Soaked up the hot sun;
And the spires, towers,
City-blocks and bitumen streets
Crumbled and metal tracks
And bridges curled and twisted,
And the rusted metal sheets
Of abandoned factories
Flapped in the breeze.

The earth was dry
And burning,
And a billion people
Filled the world
With caravans
Picking bones
And searching
For a colder place,
While fleets of
Oil tankers crossed
The dead plastic seas
Trading with tyrants.

The morning
Sunlight streamed
Through Venetian blinds,
And I woke up in a cold sweat
From a terrifying vision of the future
To the city sounds of honking horns
And traffic jams, jackhammers
And the marching feet of commuters.

In the distance,
Factories woke up
Like dragons,
And smokestacks
Spewed out poisonous
Clouds filling the skies.

The apocalyptic symphony
Played to a heartless world,
And I felt like Nero watching
The burning flames
Of Rome.

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With a digital drawing from Nikos Laios

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Don't miss Nikos Laios NEW eBook
The Silent Symphony
A collection of poems and paintings,
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Ida & Her Magic Camera
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