Rats and Lizards

It has happened before
Strong men put up a city and got
A nation together
And paid singers to sing and women
To warble: We are the greatest city
The greatest nation
Nothing like us ever was

And while the singers sang
And the strong men listened
And paid the singers well
And felt good about it all
There were rats and lizards who listened
... and the only listeners left now
... are ... the rats ... and the lizards

And there are black crows
Crying, "Caw, caw,"
Bringing mud and sticks
Building a nest
Over the words carved
On the doors where the panels were cedar
And the strips on the panels were gold
And the golden girls came singing:
We are the greatest city
The greatest nation:
Nothing like us ever was

The only singers now are crows crying, "Caw, caw,"
And the sheets of rain whine in the wind and doorways
And the only listeners now are ... the rats ... and the lizards