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After the Apocalypse

A poem about erosion & renewal

By Alison McBainPublished 2 years ago 1 min read
Runner-Up in the Smooth Challenge
After the Apocalypse
Photo by Artem Shuba on Unsplash

Concrete precipitates out of freeway overpasses,

creating sand dunes from

eroding metal shells

of forgotten transportation.

Listen to the khamsin howl--

desert grit rolling down, breaking

levers, gears, pitted hulls

abandoned before the winds reversed.

See with ancient tar eyes

bones sunken beneath a hard and frozen crust,

and the sudden cascade--

disintegration released in water,

ticking drops of passage,

portals of rainfall,

a reckoning focused on renewal--

each seed, desire

sprawled through a waste of human discards.

Between rotted tire treads,

greenness yawns a leafy mouth,

stretching as he wakes

and climbs from brown mother,

the shadows of defeat

cast behind.

Light filters through the flood, coaxing

to the heights of men--

and his siblings touch the sun.

nature poetry

About the Creator

Alison McBain

Alison McBain writes fiction & poetry, edits & reviews books, and pens a webcomic called “Toddler Times.” In her free time, she drinks gallons of coffee & pretends to be a pool shark at her local pub. More: http://www.alisonmcbain.com/

Reader insights

Outstanding

Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!

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Comments (5)

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  • Hannah Moore2 years ago

    Oh, I love this, that counterbalancing of decaying and renewing powers.

  • Denise Larkin2 years ago

    Congrats with this poem being a runner up Alison. It was outstanding.

  • D.K. Shepard2 years ago

    Congrats! Well done!

  • greenness yawns a leafy mouth, stretching as he wakes and climbs from brown mother These lines were so magnificent! I loved your poem so much!

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