as generations receded
as empires crumbled
greed ran rampant
as civilizations
stumbled on
so disconnected
from one another
so sadly out of touch
with the environment
as the natural world
slowly declined
diminished
withered
scarred
as the
putrid
toxic air
permeated
burnt terrain
to far horizons
until now I stand
thrusting skyward
in this decaying hell
one last dying thing
one pitiful survivor
one final sentinel
time’s witness
watching
the end
rob kistner © 2019
