No gardens now or flowing streams to praise,
No scenic, cloud-crowned mountains to astound,
Nothing much is left now to amaze.

It’s happened suddenly, not phase by phase,
No frogs or crickets, no singing birds around,
No gardens now or flowing streams to praise.

But yesterday I saw a mole attempt to raise
Itself out of the hot, dead ground.
Nothing much is left now to amaze.

No gardeners to point out the error of our ways,
Too late for remedy, there’s no rebound.
No gardens now or flowing streams to praise.

The grass has browned, no animals can graze,
The pasture fence has nothing to surround.
And nothing much is left now to amaze.

Of course, the signs were there in earlier days.
While we just made the best of what we found.
And now there’s nothing left that can amaze.
And now there is no landscape left to praise.

-- 2014

It’s certainly not
business as usual
my cup of tea
the end of the world

Though it could be
.an exception that proves the rule
...a blessing in disguise
...a whole new ballgame

More likely it’s
opening a can of worms.
...a sign of the times
.....getting out of hand
.....too little too late

And if you don’t believe me
it’s no skin off my nose
it’s your funeral

-- 2013