On the Desolation of Ages

These molded stones
broke loose by time

which carried castles, bridges, walls,
the pyramids, cathedral vaults,
most famous stages, marbled halls,

still tumble down from any age,
increasing earth of bones and dust
with what must crackle, wither, rust:

grand columns, arches, megaliths,
old temples, stairwells, weaponry
defenselessly surrendered here
to elements and centuries
and hypothetic histories.

Beyond this starkness, we unite
to craft ambitious plans tonight,
vacating space, proposing plots,
pour concrete forth, and kiln fresh bricks.

Now tremor never at the thought
of weather wrecking what you wrought
but brave the raging waste of years
and brace against corrosive fears
with strict convictions no one shakes
and such construction nothing quakes.

Let's lay foundations every day,
refine horizons while we pray
our architecture shall endure,
evade decay and reassure
some future viewers we could last,
defy destruction, dare the past,
prevailing where ancestors fell
to hoist up banners, ring the bells,
proclaiming prowess, pride, and powers.

We'll peer upon all twilight hours
with wisdom won from industry,
much confidence, stability,
as students of the ruins should
to be remembered where we stood.




On the Desolation of Ages © Copyright 2021, Robert J. Tiess.

View this poem at AllPoetry.com

184 words. Classic of the Ages challenge prompt - link: https://allpoetry.com/contest/2759486-Write-a-Classic-for-the-Ages
Submitted: September 4, 2020









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