What Then?

"When the great plants of our cities
Have turned out their last finished work­
When the merchant has sold his last yard of silk
And dismissed his last tired clerk­
When the banks have rolled in their last dollar,
And paid out their last dividend­
And the judge of the world says,
'Close for the night' and calls for a balance­
What then?

 "When the choir has sung its last anthem,
And the preacher has said his last prayer­
When the organ has pealed its last echo,
And its sound has died out on the air­
When the Bible has closed on the altar,
And the pews are all empty of men­
And each soul stands facing his record,
And the Great Book is opened­
What then?

"When the actor has played his last drama,
And the mimic has made his last fun­
When the movie has flashed its last picture,
And the billboards displayed their last run­
When the crowds seeking pleasure have vanished,
And gone out into darkness again­
And a world that rejected its Saviour,
Is asked for a reason­
What then?

"When the bugle dies out in the silence,
And the long marching columns are still,
When the millions of earth are gathered
From ocean and valley and hill­
When the Day that has no morrow
Has come to the last, last end,
And the voice of God from the Heavens,
Says, 'It is done,­
What then?"

 

 Might Have Been

"Mr. Meant-to has a comrade, And his name is Didn't Do;
Have you ever chanced to meet them? Did they ever call on you?
These two fellows live together In a house of Never-Win,
And I'm told that it is haunted
By the ghost of Might-Have-Been."