The World Slowed Down

The world slowed down on its axis,
And slowed and slowed
And stopped dead, and stopped dead.
Then it began to turn the other way,
Night became day.

All the rusty tins and cars
Flowed back into mines and grasses healed the scars.
The houses became trees again.
And a million miles of highway lanes went back into the rocks,
And all the clocks stopped and flowed back into the hills,
Where the mills of the gods were grinding backwards, backwards.

All the foulness in the sea
Rose up and scattered on the land beyond the shore.
To feed the bushes and the trees where the birds sang once more.
And the first became last and the last became first
And the mighty were fallen and how!
And the swimmer arose from the water straight up to the driving board
Then backed away from the edge forever.