By: Linda M Crate

i want to open the eyes of egypt
to kiss a pyramid awake and dance
upon her sands,
want to know
the loneliness of the nile and to sing with
canoes of the sky;
and i want to know all of her secrets
mysteries have always intrigued me
no one can tell me
what i need to know so i want to lay
caught in those desert eyes—
let me talk to the pharaohs and the queens
i’m sure cleopatra could give me some
good advice,
and let me dance with cobras
send less braver men away from me with just
one glance;
leave behind all these glaciers and all this ice
that cuts into me with it’s blue white
ribboned eyes—
i drift with dreams as sands in the wind
eroding away reality with the marrow of my fiery
heart,
and i just want to pirouette in the soul of an ancient land
to be kissed with wisdom;
i must admit just when i think i’m king there’s always
some white knight to knock me off my pedestal
let me be a pharaoh because their thrones
are more majestic—
my tongue will cut through all the gold and silver of my
enemies and i will dance with the pale pink of
sunsets and finally my crown won’t fall.