Sometimes History's A Ditch

By John I. Blair

Hunt the earth
Beneath our feet:
Each bump and dip
Is ripe with meaning.

Not every pregnant pause
In our descent
Piled pyramids and palaces,
Persepolis or Parthenon.

Sometimes history’s a ditch:
A moat around a hill fort,
Ruts from raiders’ hooves,
The bog where Grendel grunted.

Should that surprise?
From death to birth
We frequent places
Very like a ditch.

Our affinity for grooves
Seems obvious;
Only bards might dream
We’ll meet in heaven.

©2010 John I. Blair