Earth's Last Book

Earth has long since been obliterated in a nuclear war.Space archaeologists from other planets excavate Earth for artefacts.A book has survived the fallout and ends up in a museum in another Galaxy!

Earth's last book still stands
Stonehenge like
Relic of a former age
In a distant museum, Galaxies away

Excavated by other beings
Space archaeologists
Deep from the charred soil
Of the Black planet
The healthy blue, diseased
Obliterated in a nuclear flash
Earth's last snapshot
Undeveloped Polaroid

Earth's last book still stands
A curiosity of an extinct species
Viewed by a reverent assemblage
Gazed upon in awe
Evoking pity and wonder
Stimulating thought

For the Homo-sapien
Who took pleasure
From the written word
Gone now
Unharnessed passion for knowledge

Yes! That last book still stands
In distant lands, distant stars
Beneath it lies an epitaph
'Excavated from planet Earth
Remnant of the atom splitters
Destroyed by unbridled knowledge
They were not ready'

'This artifact is evidence that the Homo-sapien
Showed some promise'

The assemblage moves on
To the next exhibit
Extraterrestial tears softly falling
For the book, for humanity
For the hands that once held that book
And the mind which inhaled its contents
The Oxygen of life now extinguished

Earth's last book still stands
Stonehenge like
Tombstone to Humanity!