That ancient Egyptian poem
Carved on a pillar—
In it, she’s showing her lover
A pink minnow
She caught
In her cupped hands
Yes, she’s aware the water’s
Turned her
Linen dress transparent
Scene from a poem
Composed three
Thousand years ago—
It’s all just sand and dust
Now
And a few stones
Carved with hieroglyphs
But look—
There they are:
That little fish and the two
Lovers standing close
To each other
Waist-deep
In a quiet part of the stream.
Plume: Issue #133 September 2022