In The Graveyard Of Rust Kings

I witnessed a fire in a huge metal scrap yard today, in the industrial eastern edge of the city....a huge crane with a fire hose was attempting to fight the fire....

 

Where the metal burns

Amongst the mountains of waste

The rust kings pay tribute

To the oil gods with sacrifice

Great monstrous pile

Blackened thick smoke rising

From the refuse of a million men

I seen the billowing dark cloud

That rose into the air

A cyclone of thick darkness

That would have my eyes cough and sputter

One lonely towering arm

Stood above it all

Showering inferno

With intent lance of water

Like a knight that pierces the belly

Of a fierce dragon

That rolls and lolls in her final moments

Suffering huge monstrous

Valiant fight to bitter end

Struggle for control

Of man over the monster

Created from his image

With gloomy grey skies overhead

In the graveyard of rust kings

Reviews

[JP thinks the WC is apt..]

Immediately I thought of a scene in some sort of Terry Gilliam movie - fire belching machines and so forth. And there is something very epic and medieval about your scene. It's got an apocalyptic feel to it as well. And the way you describe this junkyard, if that is what it is, is really vivid. I pictured a realm of fire and rust and molten metal. Great piece!

[Laurie Morrison]

The imagery is excellent! It takes me (the reader) down deep in the belly of the beast. Great title, very gritty--I really enjoyed it.

[Destiny]

I like it. It has a slow motion feel to it (did that make sense?)

"Where the metal burns
Amongst the mountains of waste
The rust kings pay tribute
To the oil gods with sacrifice"

This reminds me of a book I read once.

I found a sense of ritual and a hint of medieval as well. All in all a good read. Thank you for writing.
♥Destiny♥

[Kevin Colaprete]

Strange, but good. I get a steampunk vibe from this.

[xXxsuicidalxemoxgirlxXx]

I like this poem.....It's really good. I like how you said "Like a knight that pierces the belly of a fierce dragon." Keep up the good work. :>

[flaneur]

A poem full of metaphors, with quite possibly the greatest title ever. This is a favorite.

"Struggle for control / Of man over the monster / Created from his image"

Nothing ever goes away, does it? If we try to bury our problems, or push them away, someone else has to deal with it. This is much more than a description of trash; it's about technology, industrialization, outpacing our ability to clean up after ourselves, and taking responsibility for our creations. Larger battles are being fought here.