Jericho’s walls are crumbling slowly,
Stories say there was a crash,
Old accounts often clash,
Beneath it all, a theme is holy.
Civilizations are born, and grow old,
Leaving signs of their damage,
And, stories tell if they can manage:
A romance, a tragedy, a compromise bold.
A leader, Joshua, might have come this way,
Leaving the stones in a crumble,
The unworldly tales are so fey.
Accounts given are oft’ a mumble.
Empirical truth is kept at bay,
While dust and ruins keep us humble.
Francis Conlon is a retired and recovering teacher. For the past 20 years, he has worked as a seasonal river ranger and boat inspector at Yampa River State Park in northwest Colorado. He has published in the local Valley Voice and in Westward Quarterly. He currently lives in Salt Lake City, Utah.