The gears of progress must turn
Marching towards the only end
Grease them with blood
Grind the young into fuel
So the ever-present soulfurnaces
Can burn twenty four seven
Forging the only future
Build the starscrapers
Turn the night gray
Not an atom goes to waste
Conquer our pitiful space
Bring reality to heel
All this for one percent more
Ninety-Nine is not enough
Feed the gluttonous machine
According to the eternal decree
In exchange for a false immortality
Just one turn away
So close
To an infinity we’ll never
— Morgan Svensen is a poet and writer based in the United States of America.