$ _

it felt

as though

we had

a chance

as though

someone still

might turn disaster

into words

that the words

themselves

would be enough to curb our

worst ambitions

to slow the damage

done

to keep

our heads above

the water

        but it was not

enough

the sea rising

to meet us

knew this

just like how we know

the edge of the world is real

and time

is a freshly sharpened blade

always cutting

too deep

making a bloody show

of our most intrinsic failures

        one day we'll

wake to it

staring us in the face

and know it's been too long

ignored

we should've listened

we'll say

we should've acted

we'll say

those signal fires burned

so long

but we never got the message

it was always bound

to happen like this

the postmortem showing

water in the lungs

and everything we might have

said melting away

word        after

useless

word