an epoch in decline
kings will come and go
disorder and war will take turns in pursuing you
men will die on the battlefield
women will be abducted
small states will spring up
a fragmentary existence
will be theirs
and yours
rivers dry up
you will look back at
gleaming terraces once
flourishing with rice
& say
how did this happen?
how did this come about?
if ties are a one-way street
& just ties
then ties are slavery
dim-witted and foolish
we trusted you
now the horses are at the border
forest dogs howl
now we can only hear coming
a rushing river of mud
we are too far from the coast
the ocean is on fire
we cannot see it
we are too far away