The dark, narrow siq winds down
to what remains of the city
in the ravine where the Nabataeans,
in Greek and Roman times,
prospered from trade routes
linking East and West.
No structures here of stone on stone
or brick on brick,
but 'buildings' excavated and finely carved
into the ravine's rose-pink rock face.
A Treasury,
in which to store the riches
gained from the caravans, coming
and going between Gaza, Aqaba and Damascus.
A Temple,
in which to worship their god
who had guided development of this oasis
with its drought-free water supply.
A Monastery,
to shelter their god's servants
as they cared for the relics of
long-passed, but ne'er forgotten, days
when their ancestors had hunted, gathered,
and lived in caves in those same pink stone walls.
A contest entry
- Petra -- that "rose-red city half as old as time" by ea.
600 points, ended August 28, 2007, 15 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - Seven wonders, Seven prompts by Virgoan.
500 points, ended August 24, 2007, 8 entries
Honorable mention
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Please tell me what you think
Comments
-
"to shelter their god's servants
as they cared for the relics of
long-passed, but ne'er forgotten, days"
Love these lines.
I like the information penned on this piece. You have given a story well describe in this poem.
Thanks for sharing and I wish you all the best in the contest. Keep writing my friend.
>>>VIRGOAN
-
A treasury, a temple and a monastery all in one! This write is so instructive -- I very much appreciated getting a sense of how Petra was developed through this poem. I also appreciate that you brought the earlier history of the cave-dwellers into this. Thank you.
-
You've covered Petra's many dimensions!
Wonderful entry with much info included in poetry.
Good Luck in the contest!
Tang
Adding your comment:
