Angkor Wat

On some other day, an early morning mist,

Would add mystery and romance

To a scene of ruins

 Being devoured by a ravenous forest.

My first visit to Angkor Wat

Reveals a scene of prosperity

In the form of innumerable tourists,

Most from distant lands.

It is impossibly large, and if we accept

The proposed 35 years it took to build

Then we must consider the site

A temporary home for over 30,000 workers.

(Disney would certainly have added elephant rides,

Water adventures featuring monkeys

And the occasional water buffalo and crocodile.

100 food stops, with Mickey Mouse, completes the picture.)

I imagine the combination of heat, disease and mishaps

Would have decimated the ranks of construction workers.

Would those workers have willingly accepted death

As the price for the privilege of serving the king?