It began slowly at first,
a report from a Mexican journalist:
FISH FOUND WITH TWO HEADS NEAR CANCUN!
A small item, soon forgotten.
Then, three weeks later, another:
HAIRLESS GORILLA DISCOVERED IN RWANDA.
And another, and another--
a succession of freak occurances.
What was going on here?
Over the weeks and months,
Nature's revolt continued:
humans born with rats' tails,
dogs without legs, birds' eggs
hatching monstrosities and cows
with canine teeth.
Strange fruit bloomed: apples
containing sulphuric acid juices,
oranges with rotting black flesh
and grapes the size of footballs.
In the following years, things got worse.
Anti-social chimpanzees ranged
through African towns,
blood-lust in their eyes.
In North America, mutant wolves
preyed on human flesh--
a grisly revenge for centuries
of abuse and callousness.
Strange sights were seen:
ghosts walked in daylight
through city streets and men
conversed with dogs and cats
and even with the dead.
Madness was the norm and eventually
civilisation sundered, succumbing
to planetary psychosis.
The desert marched into Cairo
and buried it under a mountain of sand.
The Amazon burst its banks
and drowned half of Brazil.
New York disappeared in a cloud
of concrete dust. City after city, gone forever.
Through the empty days, the pitiless sun
glares sullenly, a bloated blood-orange.
By night, a bone-white moon hangs
suspended in a starless sky--
and now it's time for God
to bid the world good-bye.
Author notes
"We think, therefore He is."
A contest entry
- #3 Black Hole Sun: The End is Near by ModernXTimes.
575 points, ended December 28, 2007, 14 entries
Honorable mention
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - The End Of The World by abyssalchainsaw.
330 points, ended May 16, 2008, 10 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
What did you think
Comments
1 - 9 of 9
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I liked your play on the words in your title, Bill. Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" delved into those darker places man seems to inhabit too easily, it appears. Well done, my Friend. 
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Great :)
Your HM award was well deserved.
I like the way you account all the actions and describe things.
I liked the end a lot too.
"for god to bid the world goodbye"
Great work and thanks for entering
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What an entertaining entry. It was dark, but I also found it to be a bit humorous and profound. You took all of the fears of man, like ghosts, mutants, werewolves--all of those mythological creatures that haunt our dreams--and brought them to life, only in this twisted little world of yours, we eventually surrender to the changes in the world. They are no longer our fears, but our norms. Really thought provoking. What also struck me as interesting was that even as all of these freak occurrences are happening, the sun and the moon stay the same in the sky, seemingly undisturbed by what's going on on Earth. It's kind of like we only have ourselves to blame, and nothing else is at fault.
In general, I loved the entry. Good luck in the contest
~ModernXTimes -
Thank you, janet mary, your comments are well appreciated.
Cheers,
Bill -
utterly fantastic. you have blown me away with your poems. you are in a class of your own
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Hi, Empire. Thanks for reading. The word "ranged" was meant, as in "ranged widely through the countryside."
You say that "man is nature"--well, yes, man is PART of nature, but often he works against, or tries to control, it. I believe that if you misuse or abuse something, it will turn against you.
Global warming and de-forestation are two classic examples. Not a conscious revolt, clearly, but simple cause and effect.In other words, we reap what we sow.
Cheers,
Bad Bill -
Thanks, Leo, for your kind comments--glad you enjoyed the read.
Cheers,
Bill -
quick pedantic point:
'Anti-social chimpanzees ranged'---> (raged?)
right anyway... I have a major issue with dooms-day stuff like this.. why would nature revolt against man.. man is nature.
thanks alot for the entry, thought provoking stuff. -
very good
It was very good. You caught my attention from the beginning and I couldnt stop reading.
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