The world woke up and drew in

A long breath of anticipation.

Noon was the hour to live for.

But whose noon, which shore?

 

Would Ktulu rise from the deep?

Would an asteroid turn Earth to a smoldering heap?

Would the humans like the dinosaurs be defeated?

Would the millennium bug be repeated?

 

The Australians were first off the hook.

One rumour did spread,

That Galactus came and fed.

The hilarity was noted; Likes spawned on Facebook.

 

The Europeans followed.

In Tallinn the noon bells bellowed.

Nothing interrupted lunch in Rome,

The Spaniards took their siestas back home.

 

The Americans remained.

Six hours to go.

Soon the world would know,

Had all the hype been feigned?

 

Ten became Eleven.

Long hour ahead.

Twelve. Lungs swelled.

No one was yet dead.

 

Twelve gongs did the church bells ring.

Twelve chimes did the cuckoo sing.

The world smiled and then was quiet

And for the doomsdayers there was no riot.

 

Our predictions were wrong,

And of our mistake we became fond.

But are we to wait long,

Until the Nostradami restart their song?

—

I know, I know, most of the rhymes up here are farfetched, “in” with “anticipation” seriously? I hear you say and “Swelled” does not rhyme with “Eleven”!! Okay keep your hair on! It’s true, all of it is.  But in my defence, this is the very first time I have attempted a rhyming poem (I usually go for free verse) so please be gentle, at least we’re not dead!

This poem is the final chapter of The Mayan Countdown saga, a sequel to Scenario One, Two and Three.  These other stories are prose so no attempts at rhyming promise! Scenario Three is not posted on the blog yet.  Funny story actually; I was going to post it, but when I finished and read it I realized that it looked like a complete short story so I entered it for a competition instead.  Once the results are out in January I will post it here as well, pinky-swear.