Paul Swenson

VIOLENCE, ADULT CONTENT

Do we still believe in the Apocalypse?
Not a laugh to think, that on a quiet
autumn afternoon, between lethargic sips
of decaf latté, fire may fall from heaven.
Surreal and showy, to assume that as a gloss
on prophecy, Zion’s gutters soon will flow
with blood, instead of mountain water.
Who are the sufferers along the road?
Seen with naked eye, it’s tricky to dismiss
anachronistic images—dark horse,
pale rider (shock to see, since bridle
trail’s engorged to interstate). Can we fail
to notice that a yellow dog cannot
be found to wag its tail?

In blessed sunlight of the New Millennium,
disciples of the fateful age engage
our dread to catalog calamities in store,
enumerate the coming dead. Close
the shutters, stay indoors, but don’t expect
protection from foreboding in your dreams,
or from scenes of carnage on the TV screen.
What can it mean to worship a forgiving
God? When Jesus walked, and spoke
to sinners, prostitutes, the lame—
He promised mercy to the merciful,
the same to those who mourn, the meek,
the poor in spirit, pure in heart. He said
that those who seek, shall find.

We may awkwardly recall
(yet fail to recognize) the jealous
God of wrath, who trod a bitter
winepress of destruction of the wicked
in the testament of old. We’re told
the Deity who authored slaughter
of whole cities (not a pretty sight),
became the Shepherd of One Fold.
And if He comes again at end of days
(thief in the night), some say that we
should see his crimson raiment
of the wine vat as symbol of his majesty.
Not me. I claim the gospel of Saint John,
whose Lord is one of grace, and mystery.

Maybe it’s just from studying paleontology and realizing how many species go extinct in the great cataclysms like the Permian extinction or the K-T boundary.

But the stereotypical disaster story is pretty dull, I think. I don’t know why. Lucifer’s Hammer was kind of interesting, I guess. Also, I like Nine Inch Nails’ Year Zero cd. I suppose at any time there have been no dearth of prophets who cry that the apocalypse is nigh. We all know that it’s a possibility at any point. I still think it’s not inevitable, and we should be working as hard as we can to prevent it.

I admit I really enjoyed “Titan A.E.” In how many films is the earth destroyed in the first ten minutes?

Have you guys seen the trailer for this year’s big end-of-days flick which will be released this fall?