Stained white ruins poke out of the ground,
A reminder of a confusing people;
So familiar, so adored, but so mysterious.
Contradictions abound in the circle’s story;
An injustice built over an injustice.

Trapdoors, a basement, and a genius design;
Yet the genius designer forgot;
The Emperor starts a war against nobody
From 8 am to sunset: Hunting scenes, re-enacted battles and blood-red sand.
Formidable beasts, but the real monsters watched from the bleachers.

Although nobody a criminal after a visit,
Structures cannot resist the elements and stand forever;
Yet the facade refused to fade.
Burnt, shaken, vandalized;
Rome’s power endures, centuries after the fall.

The forgotten eighth wonder, lies a crumbling mess.
The games ended when a monk objected;
The new faith found a reason not rid of the rest.

A morally mended structure, a plaque erected;
Burnt, shaken, vandalized;
A monument to power now a monument to its own victims.