I can no longer imagine
A lone traveller discovering
A trunkless tribute to
Ozymandias.
A contemporary sojourner
Would discover miles-long
Queues leading to a monument
Adorned with rubbish and graffiti.
Our seeker, surrounded by the
Selfish brandishing selfie-sticks
And unrestrained egocentrism,
Would only be repulsed by the
Living teeming mirror
In the desert.
A half submerged visage
Peers through piles of plastic
To invoke the ancient warning:
“Behold these works, indeed,
And do remember to despair.”