Silent Witness

 

I am a silent witness which cannot speak

I am a silent witness which cannot see

for words and sights are not mine to own

But I have senses unknown to you

I feel, perceive, remember and bear many scars

I am inanimate but clearly visible

I stand above other structures in the city

I am concious of time and its consequences

I was new once but now old and worn

I feel the winter and know the summer too

I sense the traffic and am aware of passers by

I remember the war and feared for myself

I trembled and shook as bombs fell close

My days are numbered now

I no longer belong in this city of modernity

Soon demolition squads will arrive

I shall be reduced to rubble and lain waste

I shall be no more

A memory for some

A photograph in an album

I knew my destiny the day my foundations were laid