Past Tense
written by: Warren Alexander
In thousands of years, they’ll unearth our trash
Which require grants, that elusive academic cash
With soft delicate strokes of brushes, as they squat
The must discover the remarkable or all for nought
Success, here lies similar structures scattered and small
Possibly an ancient religion or modest guildhalls
No look, religious relics including vessels of holy oil
Those can’t be clowns, they must be sacred gargoyles
Strewn about, burnt sacrifices of potatoes and meat
Some between sesame seed wafers made of wheat
Over waxy cups of fuzzy brown and orange libations
Bright neon signs proclaimed that day’s hymn citations
Congregants varied greatly, from the ugly to the bold
Who prayed in swiveling pews under arches of gold
And with keen insight they declare a weighty revelation
“We have found a once proud and pious civilization”
But with even considered thought, they could not derive
Why did a house of worship need a fork and a knife
This obstacle to money and tenure brought anxiety anew
How the hell does this pass an unsmiling grim peer review?
- Past Tense - December 29, 2025
- On Sewers - April 1, 2022
- What Women Fear - November 9, 2020
