My Egypt

Land of pearly sands and shifting dunes,
Slender palms festooned in bright orange fruit
And emerald elegance.
Realm of the pharaohs,
Of archaic treasures shrouded in time.
My soul longs for you.

The feeling of the lazy, rolling camel-stride.
With the ragged thatch of their dusty hides
And their liquid copper eyes,
They have a placid charm of their own.
And their rocking movement makes my body dance
To a rhythm that is only found
In their gentle, padding steps.
The sultry days and balmy ebony of the night.
Heat that embraces with crimson fire.
My body yearns for you.

Cities lavished in a wealth of diversity.
Such contrasts!
Legendary rich and shockingly poor,
But equally saturated in oceans of culture.
Endless chattering of life.
A bustling energy that animates and excites me.
Then there are the moments when a calmness settles,
Like the golden dust of the Sahara.
And with it comes the silence that speaks to me,
Murmuring with the wind.
The salty zephyrs, bugled forth from the Mediterranean sea,
Stroke my hair with hands, sticky as honey, and as sweet.
Glossing it slick as the frothy waves
That lick hungrily at the shore.
Peaceful boat-rides in feluccas, quaint and floating.
Scissoring through the rippling black satin of the water.
Cutting fluid trenches and exhaling polished swells.
Egypt, your waters soothe me.

Ornate temples of breathtaking design,
And the eerie darkness of the tombs.
Dank and murky, scent of the dead.
Yet strangely pulsing with mysteries of the unknown.
Statues of exalted beings gazing down through unseeing eyes.
Some sable,
smooth and glistening as oil on water.
Others creamy, crumbling,
Determined to battle their inevitable ends.
All the walls adorned in unfading patterns.
Detailed hieroglyphics,
Embellished myths of royalty,
Of life and death,
And worlds past what they knew.
Reverent mortals and celestial creatures,
Of wind and flame and ivory skin,
Imprisoned in the very fables they depict.
Carvings of gods that were buried in the secrets of eras past,
Coming to life in my imagination.
I can see them vividly,
And the temples restored to their former magnificence.
My mind is overflowing,
Sparkling with the essence of Ancient Egypt.
History revived in the intricate artwork.
Trying desperately to untangle the twisted silken tales of truth.
Many stories unearthed and brought to life.
Many more slumber on for eternity.
The cocktail of colours, sounds.
Perfumes trapped in decorated glass, transport me to distant places.
A banquet for the senses.
My mind hungers for you.

My Egypt,
A concrete and oasis blend.
And the snaking waters of the Nile
Throwing its glittering coils through your kingdom,
Winding its painted path and enriching all it touches.
Ancient and modern
Collide in a passionate display.
An intricate harmony that resonates through all
Who bear witness to your splendour.
The lyrical refrain is already in my heart.
And my spirit sings with you.