The
temple, a ruin, stands
stark,
still, at the top
of
the hill, gazing
down
at the ocean
below.
A small affair,
it
lacks the majesty
and
presence of Diana
or
Athena or Aphrodite,
or
Zeus, or the Coliseum
or
the Forum. Instead,
its
intimacy invites presence
and
attendance, the broken
columns
offering an embrace.
The
floor’s eroded mosaic
still
bears the outline
of
a fish.
Photograph by Graham Ridgewell via Public
Domain Pictures. Used with permission.
