The Only Monuments That Will Stand

I stood on top of the Aztec temple,

 And surveyed the world,

Around me the whole earth unfurled,

I felt my soul breaking free,

I was in awe of all before me,

Who built these steps of stone?

And how many survived edicts from the throne?

Did the lush vegetation faster grow,

As each sacrifice’s blood began to flow?

Was this civilization more cruel than mine,

Or has the terror amplified over time?

I climbed the Empire State Tower and looked out,

The view was breathtaking as I turned about,

My heart rose up into my throat,

I was impressed by ocean and boat,

But who built this tower of cement and steel?

How many suffered under the boss man’s heel?

There was no lush vegetation to grow,

As immigrants from other worlds began to flow,

Is this civilization more cruel than yours?

Or has terror changed its course?

There are towers everywhere,

Monuments to gods yet built by man,

But can peace be constructed upon the land?

The buildings will eventually crumble to dust,

Machinery and metals will dissolve to rust,

Pacts and treaties I do not trust,

The only monuments that will stand,

Are in the hearts of God and man.