I actually stumbled onto this poem by accident! I was looking through one of my many disorganized folders looking for something else entirely and discovered a (nearly) finished poem that I'd forgotten about. I gave it a read, not expecting much, and was pleasantly surprised to find that I really liked it. I spent a little time polishing it up... and here we are!
When next you journey beyond the bounds,
To a strange and far-off land.
You may find a creek amidst the trees that babbles with soft sounds.
Follow its banks to a clearing marked by failing crumbled stones,
The last remaining memories of days now long and gone.
A castle stood here once;
Jewel of a kingdom grand and old.
Home to great feasts and treasures,
And people with hearts of gold.
For ages it stood through wind and rain.
Through sieges, wars, and blunders.
An island in a sea of bane,
Until sad fate tore it asunder.
For as all things do as the days ticked by,
Marching onward into years.
The castle crumbled to the ground,
And in its void left rage and fear.
What ruined it? The reasons abound.
There was naught but one lone cause.
Greed and treachery cut down good with a thousand shallow claws.
Ponder not for long on thoughts of why it went away.
What matters more is what we do to build it back today.
