In the end, it's Hopelessness that kills

"And then we came out  to see once more the stars."   Dante


When we came at last to see the stars
we struggled  in vain
to gain hope.
We tried to gaze in wonder,
pride-filled in the proof
that God  held our civilization
above all others,
to read into radiance
the nod and wink of
Divine Approval,
acknowledgement of our status
as unique and favored sons.
We struggled to grasp at straws,
to cling to myth and
ancient superstition.
And then the stars began to fall and
we tried tried tried to read  the promise
of wishes granted.
But in the end all that was left
was to cower under rocks
and primitive umbrellas,
weeping the dawn
of apocalypse.