The Pillar Allegory

Holding up one corner of a porch,
As identical to the other
Pillars and porches as construction

Of standardized subdivision homes
Could possibly make it, the pillar
Weathers in brown paint and throws its shade.

Put like that, it seems like an agent
Of its own decay, when it isn’t
Anything other than a feature

Of wood around concrete and metal
Meant to look attractive, to promote
Its building as a good place to live,

Handsome even, with a pillared porch,
Good-looking rental, good location
Under the eroding blades of cliffs.

Most buildings get torn down for new ones.
Others are destroyed by disasters,
Such as earthquakes, fires, and floods. A few

Change much more slowly against the clock
Of seasons and years. It’s weathering,
This drab, unremarkable pillar

On the fringe of a global system
Constructing standardized constructions.
You don’t know how long it might be here.