A Cataclysmic Beginning

At last they meet to say goodbye
Their time was almost here
They left behind the things they loved
Their memories bold and dear
The sky was dark, the sun was pale
The air was brisk and cold
The sun seemed cold and not as bright
As was in days of old

Once, Grandma said, that in the sky
A yellow sun burned bright
Its rays were mellow shining down
A loving kindly light
But now it darkens by the year
It glows with crimson might
She said, "Beware! When red turns dark,"
She told us late at night,
"Our world will spin and twist and burn,
And drown us in our flight!"
We shivered cold and laughed in fear
With visions in our head
Of burning skies and thundering seas
But doubt was mixed with dread

Our aging Grandma passed away
Last year at Autumn's meal
I feel her presence to this day
Her loss does not seem real
She knew her words were not enough
Although she tried to school
She gathered 'til her final days
A hoard of books and tools
I protect her words with solemn rite
And all the things she kept
To teach and help us to survive
When nothing else is left

Our sun has turned an angry brown
That sizzles in the sky
The night has crept into our day
The children weep and cry
We're told the day we wake and find
The sun a blackened ball
To run for shelter in the caves
Or death will come to all
The day it came we were prepared
And quickly we descend
With prayers and hope to God above
That we did not offend

So now we wait inside this tomb
With loved ones huddled near
Our hands are clasped, our eyes are locked
With family we hold dear
The world outside is fearsome wrong
With storms and lightening's crash
The wind is shrieking bitter cold
It's volume loud and brash
We feel the shaking, reeling booms
The water drips and runs
We cling to life with little hope
We'll live to see this done

The time is long, the food is scarce
The weak ones left us first
We've planned ahead, so things will last
We can survive the worst
The will to live is strong in some
We've come from far and wide
To shelter here and learn anew
The future of our tribe

Eventually, the storm recedes
And dark clouds do abate
The trembling of the young ones stop
The elders simply wait
A choice is made to send a scout
To test the laundered land
As evening nears their voice is heard:
"'Tis safe again for Man"
A few more leave, and then some more
With bundles of their wealth
They vow to meet in one full year
To re-assess our health

And so they meet for one more time
Before it's time to go
They use the time to reminisce
And say goodbye real slow
A speech it seems, is needed here
An Elder says it well:
"We saw the signs, we heard the news,
And we survived this hell.
A prophecy of doom,
it seems, a cataclysmic end.
But we're the chosen heirs of life.
We must begin again".