Petra Reexamined
by Michael Doyle

There is an ancient city in which Nabataeans dwelt
That is more carved than could be thought of as built
This city of beauty and wonder is a World Heritage site
It belongs to all of humanity by our noble birthright

Carved as it is on a grand sense of scale
Sculptured into cliffside in the finest detail
I'm not really one bent toward scholastic lecture
But seldom does one find such architecture

Man created a beautiful flowing oasis there
With interconnecting aqueducts until the water disappeared
In an arid desert city transformed in ways astounding
To this day, the engineering is quite confounding

Luxury and exuberance made Nabataean life wonderful
As over 20,000 nomads settled finding life beautiful
Living life as through their vastly flung network of trade
There in a city of the sun where only man made the shade

Within a narrow canyon, the city was intricately built
Between trade routes and wadis, this city was dwelt
Protected by a narrow gorge for the people's safety
The perfection of this choice is a thing of great beauty

(c) November 21, 2020  Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved