(Dzibanche)

Intriguing, lush green path 

leading to a mysterious dense forest.

Talking, walking. Crunch! Goes a branch. 

Alas, there they were. 

Forgotten stairs without a name, endless and infinite.

More endless than those of the Jade Palace.  

Similar, yet original. Bling bling sparked

the shiny minerals in the steps.

Sweat, breathless. It took my all,

just to arrive at the top. 

Humans the size of ants under us. I seemed like a god.

Meticulously carved, perfectly balanced, 

patterns on the rocks, as forgotten as its age,

Yet unforgettable to me.

Grey bricks without cement, how incredible!

Constructed together for centuries to decipher.

Was it my lack of  knowledge in science,

or was it the forgotten masonry of ancient kings?

Screeching, my rubber soles on hardened bricks.

Dark columns forgotten with moss.

Was it too late, or was it fate?

(Kohunlich)

Path of pebbles, bijou and round.

A road to a broad opening, and a huge village.

Surrounded by trees, tall and green, 

Roofless buildings leading to the Tree of Life,

A spruce tree, with the shape of a baobab.

Long, thick roots to save the clan, millennials ago.

Smell so strong, of grass and flowers.

The symbol and the religion,

of the forgotten city.

Homes, storages, they had it all.

Birds chirping, worn out stone.

Kohunlich, the statues of ancient gods,

Looming above my shadows.

All-powerful and divine,

Though “forgotten,” as unforgettable as its history.

(Nim Li Punit {Big Hats})

Stelas and Obelisks, tall and wide, 

Witnesses of the past, 

Carved with drawings and letters.

Stones towering over me under the canopy of Belize.

The emperor always wore big hats, 

 giving rise to the city’s unforgettable name.

Bugs, giant ants, flying about.

Reminiscing the ancient times,

Some things stay the same...

Passing the Palace of the Wind God.

Woosh Woosh, whipped the wind. 

Crunch Crunch, fell the leaves under my feet

We finally approached the top

Sensing the wrath of the Wind God.

In trying times with starvation and failed harvests,

The villagers carved out prayers in a jade pendant.

So powerful, so mysterious.

Creating a T-shaped plate with inscriptions,

A green shimmering, azul stone,

Leaving an indelible mark on the history of Belize.

(Chichén Itzá)

We marched to the Pyramid of Kukulcan.

A long journey of endurance. 

Surrounded by forests, under the scorching sun.

The temples ahead, evenly spaced out and grey with dust.

The bricks seem new, as if refurbished only decades ago. 

but the rubbles beside the temples tell us otherwise.

Many huge creations, temples, pyramids, and fields.

The largest of them all, centered and squared.

The Pyramid of Kukulcan, The icon of all Mayans.

A square-based pyramid with 4 series of terraces..

Nine giant rows a foot tall 

Ten small steps within each row of limestone bricks,

Anything and everything shrunk within its pride.

Dragon heads with meticulously carved feathers

Carved out of the side stairs every now and then

At the top, a cubical room, much like that of a Ziggurat.

Four windows, four entries, to the praying place,

Of the forgotten. Sacrifices and gifts to the gods.

Parallel to the pyramid, stands the Temple of Warriors, 

Composed only of grey columns.

Built millennials ago, yet seeming so new.

Once with a roof of straw, now bare with the sky.

Imagination struck my mind,

As if columns of the sky protected the construction.

A grand stairway, dozens feet wide and several hundreds tall.

Three stacked rectangular prisms on top of each other,

Each with steps leading to the top. 

A grayish white, like dirty snow.

On top, were several more columns,

Protected on the side by bracket-like walls. 

In awe as I watched, the tourists flooded the plains.

Breaths of excitement and screams of joy,

As I stood in the shadow of the Temple of Warriors.

Overlooking the unforgettable “forgotten cities”.