The hands are years away

stubbing out a cigarette

from another era altogether.

The glass is no good empty.

It is well past closing time

for all the promises still in the race,

well past the time to wand all losses

into gains and find another paradigm.

We inherited a cascade of defeat

a lie-fattened polity of hate and greed.

We were asked to succeed and failed.

End game now, left for nature to complete.