Earthquake! Poem by Karl Stuart Kline

The gods decided to amuse themselves,
So, taking advantage of mankind's plight,
The laughter broke glasses, shaking the shelves,
Until Beauty was lost into the night.

It's our nature to reach high and higher,
Break away from the bonds of life and Earth,
To soar until Heaven's nigh and nigher,
'Til they decide to reach out in their mirth,

Chuckling as they slap down our creations,
Sending forth pestilence, war, flood and drought,
Laughing at our puny machinations,
So that in the end it comes to nought,

But there's no end because we build again,
Reaching for the sky, just because we're men.