Countless tales have reached me from far and wide Hidden warnings from generations past They speak of raging rivers, rising tides Turned to barend dust bowls, dry dirt and ash. A friend once said to me, with old ego, “to live is to work, to rest is to die” Withered like a cut rose, last breath a sigh Is this the youths fate? The only paved path? We sell our bones for scraps of sleep at night only to face the rising sun, dawn’s wrath sinks its teeth in our flesh when we can’t fight The thread frays until it snaps, dripping red And as time drags on all that’s left is dread