Pandora's Box

The sun was intense,

And in the green parkland

Older children played.

A frisbee whizzed through the still air,

And people grouped in case of a warning.

So many times before it was bad news on the tannoy:

A comet shower, nuclear dust, whatever.

And now at night the sun would rise,

Soon after it had set.

It was summer in January far from the Antipodes,

And global warming had flooded the coasts.

Sea defences were so often breached:

Guest houses and hotels with a sea view

Were a thing of the past.

And in our own houses

Our nuclear power packs

Stood as big as baths in bedroom, kitchen, living room.

Mars was nearer to the earth than ever before,

And the Papess had said prayers for her people.

It was only a matter of time.

2500 didn't sound too futuristic, did it?

But earth was finished now: it was end times.

Snowdrops covered the grass, unseen by so many.