Pudding Magazine #69

poem at the end of the world
 
“All strange and terrible events are welcome…" -- Cleopatra
​
“and the houses, Egypt, the great houses…” – Howard Nemerov
 
the rain was a lie or a pretext to a lie
drought, another broken promise
 
and the great winds scoured the usual alleys
 
our little black books, the compleat and unerring history
of twelve fold misapprehensions of god
 
only knows -- polite applause of wind in the palms
 
vanities of short-lived royal food tasters
from Medici mornings to Pharaohs ancient evenings
 
obsoleted by time phasing haemotoxic venoms
 
and a commuted death sentence with conjugal rights
and time off for the stuff of stage and legend
 
and how many, and how many more
 
Antarctic glaciers flood Miami Beach
acid rain falls on cue, the Flamers Crematorium,
Fish Fry, and Psychic Tanning Boutique regrets to announce
 
the suspension of all pending due to unforeseen circumstances
of an obstinate and odious nature
 
and the great mountains and the great seas wave goodbye
 
while fallen angels in Dietrich drag lip sync 
Ve’ll Meet Again, Don’t know Vhere, Don’t know Vhen…
 
and the Great Houses et cetera