Sonnet On The Konigsstuhl, Rugen Poem by C Richard Miles

As stout as Rugen’s rocky coastline stands,
Still sudden storms assail that fortress tall
And conquering kings may tumble, crash and fall
If undermining rancour stalks their lands
And so it is with us, for, deep within,
Some festering fungus rankles in each vein,
Desiring to devour, purveying pain,
And wither flesh away, as sure as sin.
But centuries must pass till wrecking wave
Can crumble cliffs to aggregate and clay.
Till then they sternly stand and oceans scan
And so we can, encouraged, blithely brave
That tyrant time, and dare to face each day
Emboldened, unafraid of mortal man.