Ozymandias of New York

With apologies to Percy, and the iron irony of the modern metaphor.

Ozymandias of America

I met a traveler from an antique land who said
two towers of steel and concrete stood for a time.
Epic and serene, monuments to commerce, now dead.
For that which stands tallest stands to more than rhyme,
but to play target to those most furied and driven
to lay the lash to their enemy's proudest face,
to bring them down and make of them a lesson
that they may say "Do not threaten us or disgrace
will be your eulogy", as though breaking stone
breaks the human spirit! For the hearts of men
and of women are not such fragile things, we hone
our very essence on the pain of madness that when
we are tested, we mourn our loss and innocence,
then rise to the times' demand, masters of resilience.


William F. Devault. all rights reserved.

Originally I thought to make this a mock of those who consider a civilization defined by the stones they lay and the weapons they trust, but decided instead to make it a tribute to the human spirit.