Aphrodisias Buried Poem by Terence George Craddock (Spectral Images and Images Of Light)

Aphrodisias, capital
of the province of Lydia.


Styles clothes change upon
ever flowing a sea of faces.
Scandal’s echo heard passing feet
preceding down time swept races.

Who has come lacking
archaic mind nobility
filling shadow gaping
in lost influence places?
A spider has stolen forth
into choice prime niche
spun cobweb without stature
statute of stone graces.

Only culture clothes change
upon a succession of faces.
Sovereign past carved into stone
time has eaten into each line
before discarding burnt pages.
Only the deaf do not hear
only the mute do not speak
only the vagrant non-entities
do not feel think or believe!

Sculptured by long buried hand
art student at ancient Aphrodisias
in rise of creative past centuries
as men walked spoke with Gods.
Folds drape life familiar style flow
back through awakened remembrance.
Posture reimposed as I embrace likeness
cloaked in carved centuries old garment.
Where now familiar face of missing head
mine matches upon broad stone shoulders?

Marble head broken in ages dust
soul crawled forth from to speak.
An accumulated out-pouring of words
layers civilizations that grew between.
Yet the strokes mind memories are one.
Sculptor where rest your youthful bones?
Must they ever strive artistically on
incarnate in change clay cast bodies?
Or are you free poet’s articulate curse?

Enter clothed in garment of dreams
gather continuing spirit in earth life.
Brought back ideas by mind familiar
from midst of advocating timelessness.
Interpret anew embodied in past lessons
purpose. To reintroduce conception ideas
so they recur in continuing experience.

Centuries after your city time Aphrodisias
diminished from former Hellenistic glory.
Suffer 1402 attack of Tamerlane. The Great Khan.
Never to recover in any centuries after. Only
soil dust buried acres remain. I return walk
ruins excavated displayed for tourist tribes.
Yet stone statue inspiration words still arch
echo noble minds from shadow into dawn light.


Copyright © Terence George Craddock