New Buildings

written by: Ian Fletcher

New buildings over the wasteland spring up
though not always wasteland farmland once
for the eighteenth century temple still stands
a cynosure for the agricultural communities
that farmed the fertile land by the River Han
rich soil tilled by generation after generation
backward in the abyss of time immemorial
these new buildings thus mere palimpsests
upon palimpsests now suburban apartments
for the workers in this great city of Taichung
yet destined to be one day themselves erased
and the land built on again strata upon strata:
in their emergence is seen their own oblivion.

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Ian Fletcher

Born and raised in Cardiff, Wales, Ian has an MA in English from Oxford University. He lives in Taiwan with his wife, two daughters and cat. He teaches English in a high school. He has had poems and short stories published in Duane’s PoeTree, Tuck Magazine, Best Poetry, The Ekphrastic Review, 1947 A Literary Journal, Spillwords Press, Dead Snakes, Your One Phone Call, Schlock! Webzine, Short-story.me, Literary Yard, Indian Periodical, Anotherealm, Under the Bed, A Story In 100 Words, Poems and Poetry, Friday Flash Fiction, The Drabble, and in various anthologies.