The Dead Whom We Honor (Poem)

those who came before us

whoever we are, whoever they be

do they mourn the current destruction

or rejoice in the smaller joys

do they care, the ancestors, the revered ones

the sainted and the destroyers

they who change roles depending on view

will the little happinesses that anchor our lives be enough

and if we call out in desperation

these having ceased to hold, will they answer

all their wrath, all their wisdom

what becomes of them unheard

the forgotten gods and the abandoned elders

now crumbled remnants in the dirt