By the Appian way

a poem by John D. Jayakumar

I walked the old cut stone road,
I learned it’s Appian’s old road,
On one end of it I saw granite, gold and glory,
On the other bones, combs, tombs
Etched with fish…
Gilt and glory, shards and shredded bones;
Apposite opposites, abiding contradictions
Under both lie timorous great love