And when you leave this lifetime in arrears
And flower petals crumble and abscise
While factories they rise and fall and rise
It’s only been another thousand years.
And when the oxeye disappears
Ash to smoke to dried-up dust
And all your foundries collapse and rust
It’s just another hundred years.
And as the ending nears
And plants they start to rot
A phrase in metal wrought
“It’s only just ten years.”
And iron gears
And boutonnieres
January 3, 2022