Ruins

An ancient palatine
resides among the oleander;
a vile killer
who subverted these foundations
upon which shambles now lie.

For years foes
aggregated together to overthrow
and revile this hedonistic sight.
With much folly and danger
failure was always the outcome.

Here the sun is
reborn daily.
Peace will not reside here.
Evil plays among these ruins;
a poisonous pill to those who would try to tame it.

On this slope with its totem intact,
one can not grease the palm with hopes
of finding buried treasures.
At what point is one ever willing to die?
Some would rather face the rifle, than what lives here.

Reviews

[julian3]

Whether this darkly fascinating piece was inspired by the book / movie of this title ( which I have not seen ) or by submerged images of dread slowly bubbling up from nightmare pools, the atmosphere is quite well done and the thuoghts persist after the reading has stopped.