Contemplating The Ruins of Pompeii

By David Niall Wilson

Books of history denote
The wonders of ancient worlds,
The aesthetic qualities of
Roman empires &
Greek philosophers.
Temples rose from ash
& returned to ash when
Vesuvius coughed up her
Gift to modern man.
Very subtle, as gifts go,
She froze a moment in time,
A world from the history books,
Preserved for dissection.
Among the wonders of ancient
Philosophers & the grandeur
Of ancient temples raised
To long forgotten Gods,
Are more human signs.
Graffitti on the walls,
Pornography and brothels
In all their worldly splendor,
Stone phallus pointers
To guide the way
And a bar on every corner.
History books will denote
The wonders of modern man,
Our skyscrapers, Rocket ships,
graffitti and brothels.
Along with the philosophers,
& Gods,
Men lived in Pompeii.