In loss, desperate conservation.
Seize these memories now,
Store them by force
Or the years will drain them,
A bright brittle shell preserved,
But all significance gone,
Farcically random,
An unlabelled exhibit.

Stone towers are melted
By everyday erosion,
Their shrines lowered to the mud.
Still an impulse of reverence
Bows the head
With no soul to trouble.

Where has it all gone?
I keep thinking I'm feeling better
But then it turns out I'm not.