The History of Tomorrow

The History of Tomorrow

The history of tomorrow is revealed in tea leaves,
multifarious incarnations of The Tarot,
on glossy Ouija Boards,
in the tiny spherical windows
of Magic Eight Balls.

The history of tomorrow is appended to the history
of the past by chains no brighter.
It is a slow learner.
All its classes are remedial.

The history of tomorrow
is cataclysmic in its invisibility,
ritualistic in its passion for slaughter.

The history of tomorrow leaves
damp towels on the bathroom floor
and rubs shoulders with unsavory guests.
It inhabits your veins as an unwanted boarder.

The history of tomorrow hangs
ancestral portraits on your study walls
and changes the books on your shelves.

The history of tomorrow considers
itself before breakfast
and after a savory interlude.

The history of tomorrow has
so many strange children
it must invent new names for them.

The history of tomorrow covets you
in its ineluctable embrace.

Appeared in Dark Matters