Manifest Destiny

Beneath its rippled surface
the lake is still,
Unmoved by the wind,
Unscathed by the scalding heat
of the mid-day august sun,
Unperturbed with the stones
skipped by so many faceless children.

Over the lake,
stands a statue
one thousand feet tall.
The work of many men
united to celebrate some grand triumph.
The granite figure,
brandishing sword and shield,
once thought immortal like Orion,
has long since seen his features
eroded by wind and rain.

A breeze,
pushes the laketop
toward the statue,
now a large stone lump,
which falls to rising winds
and is smashed to bits.