The Fall

The end begins so silently
As unannounced as that next breath
Drawn by tranquil Mnemosyne
Unnoticed, involuntary

Such bountiful humility, 
Concealing seed of destruction 
Which only much too late achieves
A glorious revelation

Oh, most exquisite Babylon
Your gardens sumptuously green
How could your glories ever fade,
Your majesty become unmade?

And yet in dreams was this foreseen –
A vision of the coming fall
Numbered, numbered, weighed, divided
Once more the writing on the wall.