And the laughter is strained, as the creaking of the broken boards on the last bridge signals the end of the play.
That reminds me of:
"And the sand-castle virtues are all swept away
in the tidal destruction..the moral melee.
The elastic retreat rings the close of play
as the last wave uncovers the newfangled way.
But your new shoes are worn at the heels
and your suntan does rapidly peel
and your wise men don't know how it feels
to be thick as a brick."
How true..the Demogenerates, have so devolved
into such ghosts and reflections of their
ancestors...not a one has a valiant heart,
or knows how it feels, to be thick as a brick.