The Last Church
 
A radio playing loud then soft
_____allegro melting to adagio
__________as its batteries wither

as particulate clouds redden
_____when the evening comes seeking a shadow
__________under yellowed leaves

as smoke rises over what once
_____were glowing coals
__________before the rain fell

as a bard recites poetry from the pulpit
_____and lovers leave their graves
__________to be buried in pews.

Toll the bell in the steeple.
_____Man has lived his day
__________and the sun sets.

Barry Green is retired and lives in Ashland, Virginia. He had a number of poems published in the 1970s, ceased writing for 40 years, and is now back at it.