Death in wait for the Devil and not enough whiskey

Once every century or so we have reason to kill
Once every other lightning bolt we find that,
centuries ago,
we forgot to thank the survivors
I do try to be civil
but you know how that species can be
I would try hatred
but that was the coward's way out
For once every beauty there is cause for strength
even when it's a glass-in-the-foot kind of a morning
Once every generation we can do better than that.
Twice every day there are pathetic creatures,
crawl on her belly,
strange little mechanisms that are beyond
far beyond me to understand
Twice I must succeed to account for the majority of failures
Twice a second I am unsure but thankful that malice is not an option
And twice was the expression that left half to die
a silent death in a cold, dirty and cramped basement
and me to be consumed utterly by the bright glory of the sun
For there are much lesser virtues than Death