With a river
The people
Left the wild
They tilled the land
And planted food
‘Til where they lived
Soon cities stood
Stone on stone
Cut and honed
Five stories
High and mighty
Six hundred years
They thrived and grew
Built roads and trade
Their spirit, true
With rainfall sparse
They managed wells
To flood the soil
With aqueducts
Thus they shone
Close to bone
A feat not
Taken lightly
Until
The rain
Did fail
They left their homes
Without a trace
Their kivas burned
Their lives displaced
I stood above
Their broken home
And wondered there
Where did they roam?
They live on
In pueblos, still
The Hopi thrive
“Our people’s will”
Chaco Culture National Historical Park
New Mexico, United States of America
Taken during travels, 1997
I posted A Ten Thousand Year Drought and Drought a few days ago, also inspired by this photo challenge.