We cheered ’til the crowd went deaf.
The war had been won in our minds.
Electronic gods were declared dead.
Aliens at last returned home.
Water was free again and
trees had agreed to be sown.
The bright yellow flag waved once more.
And then somebody threw a switch.
And the air was sucked out of our lungs.
Boll weevils large as basketballs
rained down upon the unsuspecting land.
A tidal wave of blackish haze
descended on our memories and dreams.
The world again was prehistoric, flat.
If seen from outer space, it most looked
like a poker chip on fire.