End of Time: An Oral History

A Poem by SkinlessFrank

i came across

an unknown tribe

in a forest of steel

and cinder blocks

they drank parsnip soup

from police helmets

raised chickens

and purple hollyhocks

they taught me that

the cockroach emits

a piercing scream

and when Ghenhis Khan’s

head appears

not to lose my self esteem

together

we split apart

the vacuum cleaner bag

reaped the dust

for our tortilla flour

and suppressed the urge

to gag

but those odd souls

they’re gone for good

spineless yes-men

now roam the Earth

pumping blood

into the Linzer torte

hawking neck cheese

and afterbirth

they argue

about the walrus

how his horn’s not

bony after all

but instead encased

in leathery skin

like a salami

or a football

they snap it off

watch and wait

soft liver spills

into their boots

rotten pears appear

and then burst open

inside their birthday suits

their senators

and corporate fish

have all but stopped evolving

they secrete universal acid

no bottle can hold it

and the earth

is slowly dissolving