Tom Merrill

Bagatelle II

     Get out as early as you can, 
     and don't have any kids yourself. ― Larkin

To do it ourselves would be faster,
but since instinct seems bound to prevail
it's more likely to be by disaster
that we come to the end of travail.

One could argue there's cause for heroics
and good reason to expedite fate
but it's asking too much of born stoics
to do more than resignedly mate.

So while forces too fierce for engaging
go on beating us down till we're done
we'll keep rearing new conscripts for waging
the same war that can never be won.

Tom Merrill writes to bypass time.