The stretching sand holds its command
Suffocating the ground until it
Cannot breathe. Above the ground,
The air is a still, unmoving weight
Frozen in place by the cruel heat
A vast expanse, a golden sea
That spits dust at the sky with
Waves that roll on to infinity
Surging and swelling into mountains
That strain to scatter the army of clouds
The sand kisses the rock, like a furnace
That smooths and carves it until it shines
Like the liquid gold that its intricate surface
Reflects in the resplendent light
That spills from the sun, sweet as honey
Elaborate designs in refining fires
Adorn the venerable carvings like
Jewellery: diamonds, rubies, sapphires
Dripping from a regal crown
That lifts its head to reach the heavens
Within the rock is an unspoken gloom
Thick with darkness, constant shadows
That speak of an abandoned tomb
Heavy with a weighted silence, hiding
Behind a picture of bygone splendour
The ridges tell tales of wounds inside
Its crumbling walls caving in
With the weight of its own pride
Corroded by sporadic, ruthless storms
Surrendered, submitted to merciless winds
Years, ages and centuries have chiselled
The face of the cliff, scraping away the
Shards of glory and keeping imprisoned
The shavings of stubborn arrogance
Among the boundless sands of time
