Fading
BY KAI SHERWIN
I’ve heard tales of a statue.
Once the grandest in all the world.
Crafted by the finest laborers, with the strongest stones from Myanmar,
Now it lies forsaken
In a gloomy and ancient wood.
Severed at its base,
The statue has collapsed, the white stone
Turned dull and disfigured. Off the main wreckage
Rests a countenance of contempt. False lips and eyes
Decay amidst roots on the earthen floor.
Engraved into the plinth are these words:
‘A thousand years I shall stand!
Unbroken and unyielding.
Come, lowly vassals.
Pledge and have thy names
(Glorious they shall become)
Live for eternity!’
Found on the fallen breast is a title,
Surviving proof of the architect’s hubris.
But weeds, dogged in their duty,
Have quietly obscured the words.
Over the many years of life,
These tales frequent my ears
Less and less.
These tales are turning to whispers,
Soon to be forgotten.
About the Author
Kai Sherwin loves reading and writing literature, blogs for the Huffington Post, acted as the editor in chief of the school’s newspaper, and has published a 75-page fantasy novel. When not reading, writing, or doing schoolwork, Kai enjoys playing basketball and lacrosse with friends.
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