I hear the Ancients' voices whine
When winds rip through their mountain lair.
These long-abandoned stone-walled homes
Have vacant eyes that coldly stare
From deep within a rock-roofed cave.
For centuries this site survived,
A city built within a cleft
In which a thousand people thrived.
The mystery is why they left
A place that filled their many needs
And sheltered them from enemies.
Each clue that's found is vague, misleads.
This golden palace of the gods
Forlorn above the canyon floor,
Pueblos crumbled, rubble strewn,
Grim relics of a drought or war?
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Mystery Place Poem
Contest Winner
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Author Notes
Artwork is courtesy of Google images.
The Anasazi, or the Ancients as they were called by more modern tribes, were a culture that thrived in the Sourthwest from as early as 200 BC to as late as 1300 AD. They built most of the pueblos found in New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado. The most famous, of course, is Mesa Verde.
Anthropologists continue to dig through the ruins looking for clues as to why they left. A popular theory is that years of drought eventually drove them from the mesa tops and canyon floors which they farmed. Another theory says they were driven out by war-like tribes that moved in.
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