Ars Historica

Ramses II had hieroglyphs of his father Seti I
Chiseled off the giant columns at ancient Karnak
And replaced with his own in an effort to swindle
History, and fool future generations into believing
The entire temple had been built during his reign.

But you can’t hide from history, nor alter it.
Once something is done it’s done forever.
Quasars billions of light years from Earth
May never be discovered by humans despite
Amazing technology, yet this won’t alter facts.

Facts support the quasars, Hittites, World Wars.
Ignorance of them can’t erase their efficacy.
The words wasted attempting to alter reality
Fall on cosmic ears deaf to insubstantial claims.
Humans can be mistaken, not so the universe.

You may have seen it with your own baby blues,
Heard it from a media source you always believe,
Experienced it in a frenzy of religious revelation,
Touched its fuzzy tentacles with fingers aflame,
Dreamed it repeatedly thinking yourself certain,

Yet it still could be contrary to history’s physics.
I think perhaps there are infinite dimensions
To time and space, but in this fragile life we lead
Will only know three or four, and many will plod
Along the path of ignorance while only observing

Two or three, essentially trapped in fleshy shells,
Chirping in the trees of free will, observed by gods
Manufactured by clouded minds of righteous clerics.
But this is no reason to cry or commit suicide since
History whispers sotto voce in our malleable minds.

We have the arts diverting our attention from death,
Houses and countries and cars and plants to occupy
Our fallible senses. We’ve neighbors between which
To build temporary fences, governments that preside,
And history laughing gaily at man’s misinformation.

Thomas Piekarski is a former editor of the California State Poetry Quarterly and Pushcart Prize nominee. His poetry and interviews have appeared in literary journals internationally, including Nimrod, Florida English Journal, Cream City Review, Mandala Journal, Poetry Salzburg, Poetry Quarterly, Pennsylvania Literary Journal, and Boston Poetry Magazine. He has published a travel book, Best Choices In Northern California, and his epic adventure Ballad of Billy the Kid is available on Amazon in both Kindle and print versions.