Paper Tower II

03 March 2026

https://poems.culturing.net/2026/03/paper-tower-ii/

They left the tower and started the long, winding road
over hills and dales and through many a village.
She asked what he thought of each building,
all curious structures to her, and he answered
with clarity (as much as each subject allows)
that they all were constructed by men, and thus
always are flawed with the flaws of men.
But these flaws do not make them unhelpful.
In fact, they keep Nature out, our eternal
friend and foe, who incites us to woe
just as much as empowers our lives.
She asked then what the torch was for,
and he said, to contain the flame,
to give shape to it, making it useful,
and not destructive. She asked what to call it.
He answered: civilization.