The Last Word
Like petrified beaks
these stones gape,
in ceaseless hunger.
Silently begging
from a heedless heaven.
A ragged grid
lacerates the soil,
into parcels of death.
That bloomed and rotted,
season on season.
An ancient world,
an eloquent tongue
and a powerless people
quietly withered
and went away.
Now vernacular walls
raise the new temple
of commerce and art.
The perfect tart
For passing trade.
A blue flag of convenience
floats above this place
where it is impolite
To mention the
…............. (index finger covers lips)
Like petrified beaks
these stones gape,
in ceaseless hunger.
Silently begging
from a heedless heaven.
A ragged grid
lacerates the soil,
into parcels of death.
That bloomed and rotted,
season on season.
An ancient world,
an eloquent tongue
and a powerless people
quietly withered
and went away.
Now vernacular walls
raise the new temple
of commerce and art.
The perfect tart
For passing trade.
A blue flag of convenience
floats above this place
where it is impolite
To mention the
…............. (index finger covers lips)