We peer into the maw of oblivion
A thousand angry eyes gaze back at us from behind razor-edged teeth
We’ve faced horror before; we’re never seen a terror like this.

The men in their armour have soiled themselves.
The women, holding children tight to their breast, stand fast.
The young weep for a future stolen from them.
The elders hide behind their shame.

The monster roars a rabid call, its hunger hanging heavy in the air.
Its inhalation draws us closer towards an inescapable end.

Our footing slips to a perilous slope.
We slide downward into our doom.

There is no more fleeing from the monster we made.
Though we fight against its probing tongue’s assault.

Twice the monster roars a challenge that shakes the Earth.
Our tidy lives uprooted by its howl.
And the glare from those tiny eyes hidden
Draws the blood from our flesh and turns us to stone.

Our battle cries grow weaker still.
A third time the beast calls for the end.
A gurgling boom to summon apocalypse.
One by one we let go.
Accepting the warmth as we’re eaten alive.