What you have to remember
is that it’s different now:
the playbook’s revised
the standards have changed
and everything you took for granted
is currently up in the air.

The comforting storylines
that took us this far
no longer need to stay stable
in this, the last act.
It’s the final season
so there are endings to be found,
dug into every shallow hole,
and none of them have to be happy.

The writers are riding out the clock
and the performers have taken on fresh roles
if they can find them.
This tale can go any which way
which is exciting as hell
but scary as fuck
and dangerous as all get out
for those of us
engaged in the plot.

This is what you have to keep in mind
when you realize
the clock has tocked its last tics,
the final curtain may be drawing near
and the endgame
is finally at play.