Empires are like the vast waves
Upon a never ending ocean of time
They start off humbly before rising
Out of the gloom of their origins.

Forever reaching up towards the
Sacred searing light of the heavens
Searching for a promise of power
That is never found, or fully realized.

Those that bare witness to it can
Only marvel at it’s sheer decadence
And it’s raw, unlimited power which
Drives it’s endless, unsatisfied greed.

As quickly as it appeared it sinks away
Into the oblivion of the darkness which
Gave it birth, only for another to follow
In its wake, thus the cycle goes ever on.

J.A McManus

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/empires-a-free-verse-poem/