The Last Reply
All the world about me crumbles
As ash rains down from smoky clouds,
As great rocks from concrete giants,
Who once stretched up to the sky,
Cascade down in broken grandeur
To the shattered asphalt street,
And the sun, who shined for ages,
Starts to sputter, like a flame
As if water dropped upon it
Slowly ends its glowing life.
All the stars are falling constant
And their fires fill the clouds
As they strike the Earth around me,
As the planet starts to die.
To the boulevard, now empty,
I walk out to watch it fall
And to see this world collapsing
Just to know I'd seen it all.
Then I see a girl my age,
Down the street; she seems so strong
She is calm, and has a smile,
As if nothing now is wrong.
In my shock, I did not notice
That her smile is to me,
And I feel a strong connection
Like I've finally found the key.
Then the earth slows down to crawling
And all time then stops its pace
Falling rubble floats on nothing
As we stand here, face to face.
We then take slow strides together
Toward the one who met our glance,
And we lock our hands in union
As we waltz the final dance.
As stars plummet down, unceasing,
We twirl out both fast and slow,
And she laughs a tearful laughter
At the love that we both know.
Now the sun has reached its ending,
Now just stars can give us light
Though we have but precious minutes
Before all is endless night.
"My only wish," I say in darkness,
"Is that we had met before.
"It seems strange to have a new friend
"If we had time, we might be more."
But she smiles, in the starlight,
Her last reply before the end:
"I'm just grateful that I met you,
"I'm just glad I have a friend."