the river of it twisting serpiginous like a riddle
as if unsure of its embrace of the earth
nor the earth for to give any affection in return
beneath the rippled and torsional surface
lay a marbled plinth
the statue supported thereupon decapitated in an antique earthquake
but the words decorating its frontispiece
persevered and they were Greek in origin
to this day no man alive has deciphered the missive engraved
drowned beyond the mind of the deepest diver
like the Colossus of Rhodes cradled in sand
the dawn crept and was gone
even the sea would not surrender its treasure
Flynnpoetry 