Sunday, July 3, 2011

Without You - Chapter 12: Farewell


So where
Does that leave us
If we could change
One thing
Would it matter?
With someone else
Holding the cards
The odds
Were never
In our favor

They wanted us to fail
The world’s resources
Now invested
In the few
Never meant to be shared
Horded voraciously
Until the arrival
Of a new master

I guess there’s little
Left to say
I had hoped for better
We all did
But in reality
We’re not entitled to it
None of us are
Even the propagators
Of this plague
Are not exempt
Eventually
We will find you
Bury your skulls
In the barren sands

Though I evaded the worst of it
I find myself in need
Of a new liver
In the old world
I might have had a chance
But now
Impossible

I thought I was smart
Studied to be a doctor
For this very situation
Stored enough food
To last twenty years
Though I’ll only need two
My only regret
In all this
Was not staying behind
With those
That could not make it
My wife and son
Didn’t want to believe
Perhaps I’d been better off
If I hadn’t either

This is Avery West
Signing off
Farewell
My loved ones
Be seeing you soon


Moments pass
Still the words
Resonate
My thoughts slow
Murky at best
It takes a while
Before I realize
Avery’s voice
And my captor’s
Aren’t one in the same
Just another charlatan
Preying upon the weak

What happened to us?
Where did we lose our humanity?
What use is intellect
If it destroys oneself
Guess it’s the same now
As it’s always been
Devoid of compassion
We are among
The lowest creatures
In the universe

As I pull away
My elbow
Trips a button
On the switchboard
The word LIVE
Flashes on the orange LED
I stare at the microphone
Perhaps
I should turn it off
Again
Curiosity
Gets the best of me
Somewhere
He is out there
This might be
My best chance
My only chance
To reach him

I pull the microphone closer
A high-pitched squeal
Rings through my ears
So long
I’ve pondered
What to say
But nothing comes out
Finally the words
Burst from me

Trevor Renard
If you’re out there
I need you to know
That I love you
And you’re not alone

The words come out
Soft and smooth
Like a whisper
Long I have toiled
But not this time
As I reach across the switchboard
A voice answers

Leiland
Is that you?

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