Poem: Castles Fall

Castles Fall
by Emma Probst

I beheld a shattered castle,
echoes of its former state
Desolation seemed to rapid
but the origin,
so vague

When others observe this ruin,
all they see are charred remains
Implicit of a battle waged
and lost to the hand of fate.
They envision the flames
external threats
as the reason this structure caved

Take a closer look at the ruins
gaze beneath the carnage and loss
Examine the crevices,
miniscule cracks.
Structural damage that compromised
before any conflict sustained

But when that battle came
and bombardments shook these walls
crack and crevice expanded
into long and gaping holes.
The castle faded effortlessly
before the people's eyes.
Crumbled into neglected remnants
and left to the stripping of time

Do not fear the marching armies
or the flaming arrow's gleam
Defend erosion,
the subtle assault,
raging
when people see peace

Beware the sinister questionings
and doubts that slowly remove
foundation stones from their placements
Compromising the firm and true.
Evade the miniscule fractures
that expand as time wears on.
Crevice will link on crevice
gradual dissolution, decay

And when the battle finally comes,
the castle surrounded with troops.
The walls,
they shatter like porcelain
with one thrust,
of the battering ram