Doomsday

By Renée Vazquez

noun,

the last day of the world’s existence,

a time or event of crisis or great danger.

so many people thought up great stories of doomsday,

terrifying monsters,

intrepid survivors,

extraordinary natural disasters.

none of them believed that a deadly disease from the same family as the flu

could bring the world to its knees.

All we have to do is stay at home.

Meanwhile fires raged,

caused by us.

Meanwhile storms brewed,

caused by us.

Meanwhile corruption festered,

caused by us.

One might expect any one of these to be the cause of doomsday–

difficult to fight,

a reflection of our own effects on the world–

it might’ve been more poetic.

But all we have to do is stay home. 

Then again, 

even that may just prove too much of an indignity to some people. 

Doomsday Editor: Doreen Yuan