Ozymandias - 21st century AD
I saw Ozymandias today,
lying by the railway track,
As I chugged along,
to the stone slabs and machines,
that run this world today.
His face turned towards the monolith-beast:the city.
Open to the sky,
a cracked nose,
his stone hair,
grease-matted with the detritus of today.
His once-vast and trunkless legs of stone,
nowhere in sight or recognisable.
They’re probably the pebbles and gravel that we ride on now.
his sneering lip still remains,
his command to others,
to despair, is deeply-etched.
He looks upon the works of the mighty of today,
– is it his despair, now,that chases the wet down his cheeks?
His works and conquests were perhaps lifeless in the end,
but today, it appears that it is we who are no longer living,
For the sands are not the only thing alone,
that stretch away:
each grain now strains and strives,
away from the other,
and all else that matters.
Comments
I must read beyond this Chitrali…excellent work
Tim
and the original point of shelley’s poem: Isn’t it also equally possible that these advances themselves will eventually fade into the ‘sands’ and in the end, the only thing worth achieving might perhaps be the progression of evolution of our inner-souls/selves?
many of us might share this view…evolutioary limits vs advancements x the progession of our souls esp kids in generations to come!
thank you Tim, glad you liked this piece…:)..xx chitrali
– chitrali
awesomely written Chitrali!
oh wow! and yay!!..:):)…thank you Ushna, you’re very kind…:)..xx chitrali
– chitrali
wow. i can feel time fly by. awesome. and congratulations.
hey Moyo – yeh, doesn’t it just? (time flying past that is)..so glad you could stop by to take a look, thank you..:)..love the colours in your avatar btw…:)..xx chitrali
– chitrali
haha my avatar. moyo blushes. that is the only digital treatment i ever gave to a photo of mine. but since i stumbled over these bubbles, i have learnt how much catching up i have to do. thanks for noticing, chitrali. :-))
:)..love that combo of lavender and blue…yeh, this place does that us all, i think – inspires us and awes us with the sheer talent that’s on here..:)..xx chitrali
– chitrali
cool images. this poem reminds me of BLAINE from S.K’s Dark tower series. awesome.
hey Kristin – thank you so much for your lovely words..:)…i’ve read SK’s horror books but not his dark-tower series, i should get into it at some point coz i do enjoy my fantasy books..:)..so glad you like it..:)..thanks for dropping by…xx chitrali
– chitrali
Shelley’s poem was no greater expose of man’s hubris than this exceptional 21st century rendering, Chitrali. Brilliantly interpreted for us today – the “sands” of time that stretch away, the impermanence of our own “monuments” to pride and achievement, so temporary compared to the eternity our souls will last. From what manmade machine in what other lifetime will we look back on the crumbling ruins of today – and what will we have learned? Just a brilliant piece – love it!
hey Lianne, you’re so lovely! – thank you, that’s simply an amazing comment and made me beam from ear to ear!!..:):)…exactly, what have we learned and what will we have learnt on the ‘inside’ in that so far away place in the future?…i’m so glad you enjoyed my thoughts.:)..xx chitrali
– chitrali
oh, oh oh oh, you MUST; they are brilliant. my fave series in the universe. please, indulge me and read D.T!!!
LOL!… i’ve a friend who owns the series and she’s said the same thing to me recently as well – think this is a ‘nudge’ from the universe that i cannot ignore so i wil indeed read ’em and get back to you in the next month or so…:):)…xx chtirali
– chitrali
great read C. Every great civilisation leaves behind the pebbles of greatness for us to walk upon. I often think what it is that we will leave for future generations to walk on. Time erodes all things eventually and you have captured this feel well. Wonderful write that adds to Shelley’s work.
thank Cos – yep, exactly!!…it’s what i was thinking on this one…thank you for your lovely words..glad you liked ’em…:):)…xx chitrali
– chitrali
You have a formidable style in this prose…..very meaty as in great depth of character …
I figure at the end of the days what stands may be the monuments made of heavier stone but the stories behind how they were made me thinks will still last longer….xxx
hey karensue – thank you!….those are lovely, encouraging words to me!!..:):)…yeah, i agree..isn’t it strange to think the oldest human custom – that of passing on stories will possibly last longer than the great ‘tangible’ artefacts of civilisations??…it’s one of the reasons i love words/story-telling etc…:)…thank you for reading this and for reading into it too..:)..xx chitrali
– chitrali