The Fall of the Empire

What does the fall of an empire look like?  Heck of a thing to think about while washing dishes, but here you have it. 

The Fall of the Empire

　

"We should have seen it coming
I suppose"
He said, leaning on his shovel.
His weary eyes looked out
From a face
lined with recent, sudden sorrow.
　

The hands on rough wood
were nicked and bruised,
Silvered with the scar tissue
of recently healed blisters.
Desk job hands
forced to harsher labor.

　
Wiping sweat from his brow
with what had once been a fine linen handkerchief, 
his words falling,
Crisp edged consonants,
Grammar unthinking, unerring

　
"we flew so high,
Well fed, well educated,
Well married,
Isolated by our walls
and our laws

　
"We saw no need to educate
or care for the poor.
We had earned our wealth
And wished to keep it

"Then there were the foreign wars.
Paid for by the taxes and sons
of the poor, and those of us in the middle,
petty bureaucrats, shop keepers,
Accountants like myself.
The truly wealthy guarded their own
With bribes,
And laws, bought and sold.
　

"Somehow,
although we saw it happening,
and were ourselves beginning to fray around the edges,
we couldn't stop
clinging to our superiority,
keeping up appearances
at all costs.

　
"All the while,
the ranks of the desperate ones
quietly swelled
Land, sons, hope all gone,
Sick, poor
Taught no logic or civil discourse,
they cursed us
in graceless, blunt rage
Were bridled now and again
for some wealthy robber baron's cynical use,
Hatred and lies used
to turn the beast like a bit and spurs.

　
"As they watched us
through the iron lace work of our gates,
Squandering wealth
on foods and amusements
they could never hope to enjoy
How could they fail to take the bit
between their teeth,
Crossing the frozen river to lay waste
to our wealth, art and learning
in that evil winter in the year of our lord,
four hundred and six/