Heat

red-tailed hawks soar
heat settles into stone
the water stills

***

Photo: Montezuma’s Well, Arizona,  c.b.w. 2008

My husband and I happened upon this site on our way to Montezuma’s Castle and it turned out to be a great little surprise. Look closely and you’ll see the remains of a Sinagua settlement in the stone cliffs that surround this natural spring well. It’s a remarkable thing to see this pocket of life in the middle of the desert and even more amazing to imagine the thriving community that once called this place home. There’s a trail that circles the water, so it’s possible to peer into some incredible archeological sites.

Words: haiku, c.b.w. 2019

What Remains

Broken glass
petals fray
Colored rose
fading gray

Tucked along
an old road
Crumbling walls
still hold on

Faith betrayed
by time’s hand
Aching stones
won’t let go

 

 

 

– – –

Photo: Remains of Winchester Palace, London, c.b.w. 2011
Words: c.b.w. 2015

Bones

Wreckage rises,
ravaged and worn
Light’s testament,
overcomes dark
Broken arches,
bind brittle walls
Hollowed out flutes,
can sing no more
Still, she battles,
to touch the sky

Ruins in Rome, Italy
Photo by: c.b.w. 2003

– – –

c.b.w. 2013