Something must have indubitably enraged the heavens
To pull back everything down to earth in a few seconds
Walls and pillars lie over each other, all ready to topple
Centuries of pomp and prosperity all reduced to rubble
But even these piles of stones cannot conceal the awe
at its Greco-Roman and oriental magnificence, still raw
Amidst the rolling hills along the olden King’s Highway
Old Jerash shines with remnants of its imperial heyday
From Hellenist to Byzantine to the Umayyad Caliphate
It thrived under each period adding facades to its fate
Walking barefoot on Gerasa’s sun-soaked main street
Where thousands must have walked before, is a treat
Wheel grooves on the road will transfer you to 2nd AD
When chariots plied via the colonnaded Cardo steady
The decorated semi-dome fountain for the water deity
With seven lions’ heads once poured water for the city
Temple of Zeus at the north end offers a panned view
Of the old and new, sitting pretty under white and blue
The unfinished shrine for its patron goddess, Artemis
with its secretive underground vaults; you can’t miss!
Cathedrals, bathhouses, and shops hit by earthquakes
Offer a hint of the routine, as it were before the shakes
An amphitheater with cool acoustics for performances
and a hippodrome with tiered seating for horse races
The Oval Forum with ornate columns is an open space
Where strangers must have crossed paths with grace
It is now the reluctant muse of a selfie-loving traveler
Recalling the grandeur of the city by the golden river
Never before a ruin had seemed so immaculate to her
as if, at the next turn she'd be bowing before the ruler
Listening to each stone as they shared their adventure
Hoping not to be shaken from her trance by a tremor
