The Largest Library

An antiwar poem

Gazing inside the 
     world's largest library,
ornate marble columns
     lift a rotunda skyward,
vaulted windows
     bestow harmonic wisdom,
painted angels inspire quiet
     contemplation.

The Capital close by —
The Path to Peace once well-travelled
now overgrown,
     corrupted.

A false Flame of Knowledge burns
     atop the dome,
fueled by dusty books
     feeding the war furnace below.