Building on Sand

The landscape looked wonderfully picturesque,

but in the haste to build,

we did not explore widely enough

to see the full lay of the land.

We were just delighted to construct

houses, apartments and vacation hotels

on the recently accessed land.

Substantial funds were spent

on new furnishings.

We were proud of our success.

But while it was a cherished historic hope,

construction rested on a flawed premise.

There was insufficient basis on which to build.

Our neighbours resented our occupancy

and earnestly coveted the land.

They had never accepted our ownership.

More money on fences and security

were no long-term solution.

Good friendly neighbours were missing.

A sense of a larger shared community was nowhere to be seen.

And so,

the border disputes and clashes continued.

No buildings or homes were safe.

Nor were the people.

Death and destruction instead prevailed.

Alan Whitehorn

October 16-Nov 20, 2020