The flat roofs shivered
beneath their inch-deep
sheet of rainwater,
the sky lightening
with invisible sun,
ribbons of silverfish
livening the gutters.
A tower looked out
over the nothingness
of the east,
its bodyguard of
striped pillars
stunting the empty plaza,
the bankrupt, interrupted dome
shamed to a patchwork
only strangers now noticed.
Hailstorms and the harsh winds
of the newly-ended season
had contributed to the
compound shame,
till peeling and collapse
were the measure
of their own progress.