Dick Davis - Touring a Past

<i>The ruins, which are not very remarkable, are situated on an island which
is almost impossible to reach ...</i>
Hachette Guide to the Middle East, p.1003.

Even from here I see
How stagnant and unused
The brackish waters lie,
As if the bank had oozed
This stream that sluggishly
Reflects the idle sky.

There is no boat to cross
From that ill-favoured shore
To where the clashing reeds
Complete the work of war
Together with the grass,
And nesting birds, and weeds.

I read that now there is
Almost no evidence -
No walls or pottery -
Of what I know were once
The walks and palaces
Love lent to you and me.

Dick Davis

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/touring-a-past/