empire – Kevin Trent Boswell

the universe is
collapsing
as far as we’re
concerned

but we’re not
concerned,
not the least little bit

we’re too busy
chasing stars
all thumbs, hearts,
and digital dollars

one of the first things
to go
when an empire
collapses
is education
and art

wait,
but that’s
two things

I know,
now do you see
what I mean?

propaganda becomes
less obvious and harder
to detect

after that, the laws change,
censorship and
surveillance tighten

people become
more divided
than ever before

extreme right and left,
each with a few correct answers
and a whole bunch of lies

and each side is
convinced
that the other is
100% wrong

“our team couldn’t possibly
“be incorrect about anything”

the enemy
is no longer
at the gates,
but now lives
next door

no one can sleep
for fear of the news

but the grocery store
is still reasonably
well-stocked
for now

lately, at night,
I look up at the stars

if I wasn’t certain it wasonlymy imagination, Iwould swearthat thedamnthings were squeezingclosertogether