The Obelisk

The Obelisk

For one hundred and seventy yearsI have stood high atop this hillA lone sentry watching overThe ever-changing skyline belowThis place changes constantlyThe boundaries always shiftingAs the water meets the cityAnd the city meets the bushYet through all the changesStill I remainStanding tallSurveying the world below

I was built as a guide for the marinersA beacon on the hillWhere the old windmill used to standIn my heyday I was magnificentA gleaming monumentVisible for miles along the coastDuring storms and calm seas alikeI would point you towardsThe port of NewcastleWith its promise of safe harbour,A hot meal, a warm bed,And work in its growing industries

But now I am olderAnd the world I knew has changedI have lived through great warsAnd seen times of depression and despairI have seen the birth of FederationAnd watched the rise and fall of kingsI have been burnt by lightningBroken by earthquakesDesecrated by vandalsSurrounded by weedsOh the stories I could tellBut no one wants to listen

And so after almost two centuriesStill I stand hereAtop this hillWatching the world go byAnd I find myself wondering,Will I still be here in another centuryOr will I have been replacedBy something new?Something more like the buildings belowThat have replaced the green treesThat were once my friendsBut now are only memories from long ago

Poem and photo © CJ Levinson 2018