In the Emotionary, this poem is filed under the emotion: Anxiety.

It used to be busy here.

I stand amongst the ruins,

Of a once-towering structure,

Gazing upon the crumbled stones, 

Left over from a long-forgotten culture.

There used to be crowds upon crowds, 

Hustling, bustling,

Horseshoes clattering,

And carts rumbling as wheels roll across the lime roads.

But that was a long, long time ago.

Oh, how I wish I was there to witness it all!

Just like in the paintings

Of this glorious place,

 Paused in its height of splendor:

 Stone pillars rising to lift the sky,

Circus Maximus brimming with cheering crowds,

And the buzz of a flourishing society.

I can almost hear the murmuring of the pedestrians,

Going about lives that I will never get to know.

I blink my eyes.

All that is left before me

of that once-magnificent civilization,

Are the crumbled rocks piled upon each other,

And the deep ruts cut into the frayed roads

Evidence that they were once here.

I turn my head towards the setting sun,

Now a mere smear of red.

We once looked up at the same sky,

Basked in the same warmth,

And dreamed the same stars.

All the rest, 

Is lost in the flow of time.

About the Author

Living in Canada, she enjoys reading fantasy and composing short pieces when in the mood.