The Prospect of Extinction (poem)

A mass extinction is happening right now,

and we're on the list of potential candidates.

Have we run our course?

Have we ended ourselves?

Have we ignored the warnings?

Is this how far we've come?

Will I never have a family,

or will I raise a daughter

in a world crumbling around us,

knowing she is the last of my line?

The most important questions are

will we fight,

and are we worth fighting for?

Or should we just fade away?

-Zero

The Shadowy Doubter (poem)

I see him often now.

Sometimes in the mirror,

sometimes in the world.

He tells me to give up,

that hope is fool's gold,

that we are lost.

But he offers a hand,

as if to help me up,

only to drag me towards the darkness.

And I challenge him,

draw back in fiery rebellion,

tell him that he is wrong.

I tell him that not all is lost,

that even if the battle is hopeless

that it is worth fighting.

Every couple days or so

we have this same talk,

hoping one day the other will give up.

-Zero

If I Had Stayed (poem)

Four years ago, I decided to leave.

At first, it was gradual.

Two years ago, I said goodbye,

never to return again.

But what if I had stayed,

given up on my studies,

let my passion turn to dust,

and stayed with the familiar?

I left to become more,

to follow divine ambitions,

to build my own Sistine Chapel,

and I couldn't at home.

If I had stayed,

would I be starting a family

with a girl I hate more than I love,

our screaming louder than the baby's?

If I had stayed,

would three beers a day be normal,

getting drunk and high with the guys

from Wednesday to Sunday?

If I had stayed,

would home still feel empty,

or would it be full of empty things,

this girl or that girl?

If I had stayed,

would I have the thought to question it,

or would I blindly go forward,

not noticing the circular path?

I'm glad I'll never know.

-Zero

Lost in the Dark Woods (poem)

It's easy to get distracted.

Sometimes when following a path in the woods,

one distraction leads to another

and suddenly you're lost.

The sun stares down at you

with its eyes of shining gold,

seeing the road clearly,

but offers no help.

The birds which once serenaded your march,

now sit on the branches above you

and laugh at the silly human

lost in the depths of their woods.

The verdant trees which once welcomed you,

now loom over you,

as if to remind you of the coming night

and the dangers hidden within.

You wander for hours,

hoping for some act of god to save you,

but it never comes,

and you don't know how much further you can go.

So you sit by a stream

and take a drink,

the sun beating its rays on you like a drum,

and you almost give up.

You lie there and wait.

Night falls and the darkness is absolute.

Clouds cover the moon and stars.

The forest turns dead silent.

You're without hope now,

but you haven't given up.

If you are lost,

you can always be found.

Then you notice a light on the horizon.

It's small and far,

but it's better than nothing.

You walk towards it.

The light turns out to be a cottage,

with a swing out front

that overlooks the valley.

You knock on the door.

No one answers,

but you stay anyways,

until the sun rises

and an old man walks out.

You explain what happened,

and he immediately offers a drive.

And just like that,

you're no longer lost.

When you're lost in the woods,

with no sign of rescue,

just remember,

the path is still there.

-Zero