by Julia Griffin

“When drone footage of the complex of 732 castles appeared online a few years ago, they quickly became
a viral phenomenon: there are dozens of YouTube videos marvelling at the cluster of Disney-like chateaux.
Since then, the mystery of whether they will ever be finished has only deepened.”
—The Guardian

At Burj al Babas, until lately,
The would-be noblesse has been thrilled:
A group with an eye for the stately
Has bought up some landscape to build

A fleet of châteaux, all dead ringers,
Providing north Turkey en masse
With Louis Quatorize-ish humdingers—
Old French with new plumbing. Alas!

Though each of them should be an idyll,
A palace for Bête and for Belle,
For reasons remaining a riddle,
They’re none of them more than a shell,

And all of the money expended
Has vanished as down a crevasse;
And thus very sadly has ended
The promise of Burj al Babas.

What’s more, the whole vista looks comic:
A townful of turrets in rows;
So think of the cost economic,
And ponder, next time you propose

Investing in urban expansion
For luxury housing galore:
If one thing detracts from a mansion
It’s something just like it next door.