Inheritance

i. Distant Rumblings

A soft breeze blows through an open window
bringing with it whispers from the outside
Bright lights twinkle on the horizon
dancing for a moment on that fine line

The night air warm and filled
with the premise of a isolation
I stand at the window, waiting for it to arrive
I release control before I change my mind

ii. Into the Earth

Warm breezes swirl softly,
churning dried soil into landborne clouds
It is without warning that the hand of death visits
upon this land

Frightened eyes now turn up to the skies
black clouds boiling, acid raining down
They await the decree of the one they fear
upon whose head rests a broken crown

The air above begins to shriek
whipping with a force never known before
Flash of lightning arcs across a blackened sky
illuminating the chaos

All cries abandoned, no one to save their souls
those who walked patient in the path of God
There is no hope left for those all left behind
who believed that heaven held their place

It is not from angels that judgement comes
deep within the wrath do the furies eminate
Sacred Mother Earth, how she shudders and roars
Now exacting punishment on all in all save one

The time has come for humanity to be judged
as told in tales of old
This has been the last day that they will ever know
and the warmth of their laughter will soon grow cold

Wrestled with the hopelessness all to the ground
Deep within the caverns of Earth do all fall
Sacred Mother Earth, how she shudders and roars
Now exacting punishment on all in all save one

The time has come for humanity to be judged
as told in tales of old
This has been the last day that they will ever know
and the warmth of their laughter will soon grow cold

When the angels come down, will there be one for me?
Is this some kind of justice for my crimes?
Or a testament to all?
I wonder what will follow as I drown in the thunders call.

iii. The Meek

The Serpent swallows its tail
the end is the beginning again
a clean slate
The last two bodies pass into the soil
Taking with them their wasted thoughts

The veil of darkness lifts
from the brow of Mother Earth
a new day
The winds retreat and the clouds part
sunlight warms this barren new land

My eyes sweep across a red desert floor
never moving beyond the horizon
Now doomed to this existence,
trapped forever upon this barren island?

More mortal than ever,
I'm swallowed in this empty pain
If only for a moment
I could soar beyond this endless plain

Could this be my fate?
Am I destined to escape?
Destined to escape?

iv. Icarus

Too late to abandon these flights of fancy,
my dreams of dancing with the light?
Who would love me, the last man on the Earth?
Who would serve the final rite?

My eyes sweep across a red desert floor,
never moving beyond the horizon.
Will I, like Icarus, be trapped forever
on this infinite island?

©1999 Denison, Geihe, James, McNally, Park, Pfeifer