The Menga Dolmen

No written language. Rest there,
Then circle back to musing
On all the giant structures

Stone-Age humans assembled
At far-flung sites around the world—
Dolmens, henges, and temples,

Heaps with varying functions,
Varying shapes and meanings,
At varying altitudes.

Doesn’t it make you wonder
A little why anyone
Bothered to begin writing?

It wasn’t necessary
To organize anything.
It wasn’t necessary

For civilization or
To simply survive.
Some early writing contexts

Were much less awe-inspiring
Than the mounds and weapon hoards
Of non-literate neighbors.

You know the answer. Writing
Had ulterior motives.
Writing blossomed for itself.