Betrayal

It wasn’t just Ozymandias who despaired,
Gazing at the sand.
The age-old prophet’s cry
That nothing endures
Condemns us all to write
Our epitaphs.

“These empty skies
Seem like an echo of my greatness.

Strength is not what it appears;
Look no farther than here:
Though dead four thousand years
I am younger than the dust
That binds us all:
The emperor and poet.

“The gods, who invented pride,
Betrayed us.
Now they come weeping back
To turn me into verse.

“Immortality should last
Longer than this.
Your words will fade like mine.


"The sole truth is the desert.”