Remnants of sybaritic desolation Surrounding the last witnesses Of humanity's self-immolation As it lies in its lurid repose Pallid and gaunt, they sift through the ashes Vainly seeking some fragment of guidance Instincts have failed to sustain They wander with no providence of meaning Frail, derelict figures, knives long discarded Dead eyes beyond hope, dead mouths beyond prayer One by one casting down The crown of life that burdens them Their paths diverge in all directions Yet they tread inexorably To a desolate, nameless Eternal communal grave No conflict, no heroes No lessons learned from times of trial No cruel fate to betray them No truth behind the hangman's smile This silence is their just reward No sins, no virtues No breath of life to sour the air No genesis or revelation No epitaph to mark their graves This is the way their story ends