When casually gazing

into the abyss, 

beware the countenance 

that you could meet;

and don't be fooled

by your finer erstwhile spirit,

which might re-surface

as a twilit deceit, 

a counterfeit reprieve, 

to cleverly distract

from the current shift,

seimsic yet cryptic, 

and should you fail

to fathom the chasm, 

belatedly apocalyptic...