The Ends of Things

“Damon Knight… first published this story… under the title “The End”… I suspect he thought that “Things” sounded too much like something you see on the television at one A.M., with purple tentacles.” Ursula K. LeGuin, introducing her story “Things”

“I am glad you are here with me. Here at the end of all things, Sam.” J. R. R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

I feel that meaning’s rooted at the ends of things.
A falling foot converts a whole line to trochaic.
A story’s “ever after” leads to wedding rings.
Unfinished mysteries bespeak a life of chaos.

A falling foot converts a whole dance into chaos.
A tolling bell announces final passage rites.
The jockeys on the homestretch show their fastest paces.
Which boxer’s standing by the last round of the fight?

A bell begins and ends each round of every fight.
Without a tie-off, knits unravel all the way.
The salmon’s ancient journey ends in quickened life.
The evening news sums up the meaning of the day.

And if we never find out what the future brings
I’m glad you’re here with me, here at the end of things.

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