The Town in the Desert

A man built a town in the desert
With lofty limits and low walls
And from its highest peak he lay alert
To hear but a whisper of their calls

By ones and twos and threes they came
With promising smile and amusing name
Most knew this town was not their aim
Yet many vowed to stay all the same

But a wasteland can be a cruel rest
To those who choose to make it theirs
When the wind picks up and the sand tears
No real wanderer will dare there nest

So storms shook and razed the town
Left it bare and on its knees
No familiar traveler to grace its courts
Only pleasant ghosts, to haunt its streets

There is now a town in the desert
With shattered dreams and barricade
Where once a man lay ardent and alert
A boy remains decayed

Originally published at https://write.arunkurian.com on March 20, 2012.