Archeology 101 Poem by Nancy Ames

'Until today, I always thought
that evil could not build, could not
hew wooden notch or pile up stone
or plant a seed or see it grown.

That sculptured face, to my surprise,
has fangs that drip, not eyes,
sheds only blood, not tears,
and scorns the passing of the years.

Delighting in a spreading stain,
a hollowed bone, a bursting brain,
in all the days from there to here,
it has been content to interfere.

That's what I thought, until today,
when jungle leaves were pushed away
from this gigantic, green-eyed monument
to hatred, greed, and devilment.'