To love!?

Pristine white marble
sculpted immaculately
one of the wonders of the world
symbol of eternal love
…or is it?

What if
it was not love but guilt
that drove the emperor to proclaim
his consort was the best
and create a tomb so grand
as penance and
not out of adoration!

What conspiracies and collusions
marked those halcyon days
was there jealousy or deviousness
do these sun dappled arches hold some secrets?

As he lay in the fort
watching his labour of love
did these walls record his regret
were his lovelorn sighs heard by the steps
what went through his mind
in the cloistered solitude,
while plotting and planning went behind his back!

The young third wife bore
fourteen children in twenty years
was there a design behind it!
did her beauty and cleverness
lead to jealousy and scheming
coming in the way of her longevity!

Now they lie cold side by side
under the cold marble
the palace intrigues
and machinations
lie quietly buried too.

All that the world can see
is a monument of love
as lovers visit and sigh at the beauty
on full moon lights
holding hands and pledging lifelong fealty;
is it to love or to the idea of love!

Written for dVerse and Sadje. Today’s host, Merril says: You may write about any object—a family heirloom, a museum piece, a monument, or a palace. The choice is yours, but there must be some link to history and the past. (Or to current controversies over some artifacts held in museums.)There is no length or style requirement.