Egypt Under Construction

I
sat
under
cover
of
a
large
market.

noticed that, in the adjoining stand, several pieces of meat swung from their hooks.

I --- shifted

focused on their movement in the wind.

They swung.

They swung on their hooks
as several women walked by --
touched them
decided on a purchase --

Men looked at them
scuttlinginsandals to avoid the discomfort of pause.

This was the last day of my visit.

I wanted to see the pyramids and sphinxes --
violence that
could fall on unbelievers.

I wanted to see them -- it

people

connected

quiet

even in its own silence --

for the discovery.

I walked to the sights
without a guide.

The government has placed yellow tape around them --
around the sphinxes.

The pyramids are self-destructive.
Separate blocks of its structure have collapsed.

It is dangerous to look.

Several men and women aid in reconstruction.

Many tombs are irretrievable --
in (form and appearance).

Color has
Ceilings have crumbled.

I stand on this wide expanse next to the pyramids next to the sphinxes

above the tombs

just at this moment
I feel that the country is dead.

Relics of tombs are on display

at the museum.

Tutankhamen has been open in observation for years --
Cold and deconstructed --
like the pyramids and sphinxes above ground --
prepared for examination
in seclusion

indefinitely.

"Everything will be gone in five years."

The government will replace the pyramids and the sphinxes with a transit system.

Visitors to the tombs will be prohibited.

Reconstruction will be renewed
indefinitely.

Officials say that Egypt has lost its foundation.

Reconstruction will be renewed



indefinitely.



During my medical leave, when this poem was written, I was watching a TV special about Egypt and the perilous condition of some of the great sites. Many people have told me that, upon visiting Egypt, the pyramids have become such a tourist trap that their wonder has diminished. Hearing this, my heart was broken. My heart was torn out in the same way when I found out the Taliban were blowing up massive, ancient Buddhas. I still have hope, though. I am continually amazed that there still are ancient remnants and, sometimes, full creations. I think the poem also reflected how I felt I was falling apart inside.