The Ruins

I came along with high expectation And hopes of grandeur, instead defacement A ruined mass of fallen structure Displaced gray stones in random stature A mist alighted like a screen A passing shroud that blurred the scene And when it lifted a man I saw Standing by what seemed a door With hand he beckoned fervently Responding, I sensed his urgency I entered the ruins like a ghost And followed with awe my new found host He cast my mind back to an age of decadence, richness, hard to gauge My eyes receptive, I was beginning to see Its many rooms now clear to me I stepped into a hall with floors of marble And sweeping staircase, a sight to marvel A gallery of oils adorned the wall The face of my guide appeared in them all He smiled at me as I gasped in wonder At the treasure to view on which to ponder Porcelain, tapestry, it had the lot Even a dance floor for pavane and gavotte Four poster beds with embroidered drapes The smell of must was hard to take From mullioned window I glimpsed the lake With swans and ducks I make no mistake Manicured lawns and statuettes Embraced the lawns like silhouettes Reflecting the atmosphere at this time A faraway bell had started to chime What happened here I asked the man Squandered by me and the rest of the clan We waged a bet and sadly lost It all went, at such great cost The toll of the bell was getting louder He turned to go, he was losing his power Fast fading before my very eyes Now in the ruins and the demise I browse the toppled masonry I sense his smile, his presence, his waving hand Once garden, in place the moss and ivy grow With sad reflection I turn to go