RaptureTok goes viral

Gaby buys Bibles, put bookmarks inside

for folk who are not Chosen. Hannah hopes

to be at home for it, asks for time off work.

Dan’s cereal cupboard is full of ants;

he vacuums them up in case it’s a sin.

Joolz coughs her bucket list into a hankie

• a ride in a helicopter. Her niece

thinks that’s what The Rapture will be like,

tells her to save her money. Josh cashes

in his Premium Bonds, goes to CasVegas.

Jade crayons pictures of Mummy floating

while Miss chants psalms, mutters about needles

and camels. The Head sends her home on leave.

Facebook puts out ads for Geiger counters

and survival kits. Tiktok says End Times

are marked by catastrophic events, the rise

of Global Government, the Antichrist.

I turn off the TV, fall to my knees, say my prayers.

Liz McPherson
Picture Katherine Bradford

Shivering in the Wind (Yaffle’s Nest, 2024). Yaffle’s Nest | Yaffle <https://www.yafflepress.co.uk/yaffle-s-nest>