In the centre of the fog-shrouded city
The buildings do not scrape the sky
So elegantly as in Beijing
Nor so daringly as Shanghai
The attention focuses instead
To the earth, down a few meters
A humble farmer looking for water
Found how terra firma
Had been changed to terra cotta
By the mighty Qin
Preparing for his heavenly journey
Supported by a cast of warriors
Cherubs and their horses
Virgins and their minders
Having unified the country taking his own name
He departed in a tomb enriched beyond dreams
Now awed by the Chinese multitude
Wondering where their own dynasty leads
Xi’an, China, April 2013
