A curiosity sparked by flickering pages,
An allure windswept from ruins of old
Inspired a beating flame through the ages.
Alight with resilience, hope and wonder,
Passion warms and tempers with knowledge.
It burns with resistance against thieves and those who seek to plunder.
Words and shell casings pass through and make their mark,
Turned to time’s past ashes.
Melted down to tools ready to gift to those on similar journeys they will soon embark.
Unwavering against breathless wind,
Determined embers continue to glow.
Years of endurance have hardened soul and mind.
Her mission to unfold the past in the present.
To unfreeze a city’s essence and create life from sown seeds,
Heated by interest, acknowledgement and support lent.
To melt and flood minds of all
Becoming keepers of the past forging keys for all to access.
Keeper of her city’s abandoned past, the Dame of Caral.
By Norah Tapahuasco-Ortiz
Guest Post by Norah Tapahuasco-Ortiz as part of the 2021 UCL TrowelBlazers Digital Fieldwork Project.
