On a Cloudy day,
I found a piece of sandstone,
the cornerstone of what would soon be my mighty empire.

But of course, in the desert, the sun is bright, the heat intense, and the mirages plentiful.
I held onto that stone, never willing to let go. I defended it against all attacks, fixed its chips and polished its blemishes.

So square,
so flat,
so level,
so perfect.
Soon to be the cornerstone upon which pride would be built.

Finally, I found a tool with which to carve.
I started with the date of creation.
I began to work, slowly at first,
chipping, filing... Carefully etching each inch.
Slowly the date, then the name,
each mark the birth of an empire formed.

There was a Pitter,
Then a Patter.
Then as deception would have it, there was No Warning.
Slowly the drumming on the ground grew.
My clothes grew heavy with the rain.
I shouted, there was no answer.

I clung to my stone and ran toward a door.
As I neared, the color changed.
I pounded at the door, crying for an answer.
None Came. All moved. Everything Empty.

I stood in the downpour, My stone dissolving in my hands.
Mud snaked down my arms, dripping from my fingers, staining my shoes.

With nothing around, I was left holding a pitted, jagged, eroded and broken dream.
I walked out into the emptiness, not letting go, not looking back at the unopened door.

Only steps later I came across a spot.
I planted my cornerstone turned gravestone into the ground.
The cemetery of dreams.
Plot after Plot of buried visions, neglected hopes, and dead ambitions.
Too much to bare, nothing to look at, I turned and walked away.
I walked for sometime, not stopping, not slowing, looking, just not knowing...

On a sunny day,
I found a piece of Marble,
The bone of a dinosaur lay to its side.
I sat, smiled, and carved,
This mark to stay. This mark to stand.