lies an unprepossessing mound.
It is hard to imagine this
was once an 11th century castle
transforming into a medieval fort
so I stroll by a place of mystery
in the very footsteps of history.
The only living creatures there today
are butterflies, insects and birds,
too many brambles to reach the summit
as branches hiss as if the spirits
of long departed soldiers and more recent souls
who have climbed up this verdant hill before
but now do not walk the earth anymore.