from wats to watts

Siem Reap and South Central,
Angkor Wat and Watts Towers–
they aren’t so different.

Simon Rodia.
Suryavarman II.
Nuestra Pueblo formed by Rodia’s own two hands,
Angkor Wat formed by Suryavarman’s architects.

Both monument complexes
built by madmen bent on
making something beautiful,
making something lasting,
making something bigger than themselves.

They couldn’t tear down Nuestra Pueblo
though they tried, with their steel
cables and cranes.

Angkor Wat still stands
though a million footsteps
roam the stone walkways every year.

Both monument complexes
have seen the worst of people,
have seen the suffering of a people,
have seen the struggle for strength as a people.

They stand tall and proud against the sunset,
breaking the monotony of the horizon,
two monuments worlds apart from each other,
both of them home.