Tower Struck By Lightning

Lightning struck the tower, and it fell,
scattering stones across the plain.
lifting the miles-long shadow, breaking the spell

that killed hope and drove the fear of hell
into every living heart and brain
that saw the tower in the years before it fell.

Rust devoured the terrible iron bell
that echoed over the country like a stain,
like a shadow cast by they who cast the spell

that made the land so ill. It’s getting well,
vines overgrow the ruin, and chains
of blossom lie where the tower fell.

Sunlight, and the green smell
of growing things, and sweet summer rain
erase the lingering shadow of the spell.

Wanderer, this history is yours to tell
where you are bound. Carry this refrain:
Lightning struck the tower, and it fell,
lifting the miles-long shadow, breaking the spell.