The Victory Arch of Carteer

At the entrance to town,
by the northeastern gate,
Rising up from the ground
on its marblized weight
Stood the symbol of our city's cheer:
The grand Victory Arch of Carteer.

Our polis was at war
With an enemy dire,
But if we needed more
Reason to be inspired
We'd look up and drop down a proud tear
For the Victory Arch of Carteer.

By the seventeenth week
Of our enemies siege
Our defense passed its peak,
And we had a new liege
Who wanted to stimulate fear
By the Victory Arch of Carteer.

We were treated as slaves,
And our spirits were flayed,
But we all acted brave
Until we were betrayed.
A citizen spoke of what we held most dear:
The prized Victory Arch of Carteer.

The tyrant took his ropes
And tied them round the Arch,
Then he crushed all our hopes
As he commanded "March!"
And a tumble of rock stabbed my heart like a spear.
'Twas the Victory Arch of Carteer.

Gone was that piece of art
Of commemoration
Which had kept every heart
At its strongest station,
But I looked at the place as dust started to clear
'Round the Victory Arch of Carteer.

And the shape of the stones
As they lay on the earth
Made me let out a groan
In the pangs of rebirth.
For an empty old cross was the sign that appeared
From the Victory Arch of Carteer.

And I raised up a shout
That was caught up by all
As each one thought about
Being saved from the Fall,
And we drove out the enemy to the frontier
Past the Victory Arch of Carteer.

As we came back to town
From our fighting afar,
There was feeling around
That our homeland was marred.
So we set up a monument we could revere:
'Twas the Victory Arch of Carteer.