Shibam

Out of the wadi,
out of the dust,
walls rise together,
tower on tower.

Sun-dried earth,
windows of white,
narrow streets
holding back the night.

Built from the ground,
reaching for the sky.

Shibam,
standing in the sand.
Shibam,
shaped by human hands.

Higher and higher,
earth into sky.
A city of towers
refusing to die.

Caravans came
with incense and spice.
Heat on the road,
dust in the light.

Behind the walls,
door after door,
families lived
floor above floor.

Shibam,
standing in the sand.
Shibam,
shaped by human hands.

Higher and higher,
earth into sky.
A city of towers
refusing to die.

Mud and timber.
Wall and stone.

Centuries pass.

Still it stands.

Shibam,
standing in the sand.
Shibam,
shaped by human hands.

Higher and higher,
earth into sky.
A city of towers
under the desert light.