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Memories of Egypt

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I miss her, Mother Egypt
and those friends I left behind,
timeless history, marvels and mysteries
etched in stone by her own scribes.

Longing for the waters of the nourishing
River Nile and surrounding seas,
the laughter and smiles of everyone
who once loved and greeted me.

Near the shores of Alexandria,
Abu Qir and Fort Qaitbey,
Where Cleopatra's palace once stood
in somber ruins, she now lays.

Near Pompei's Pillar and Roman remains
of columns and fortress walls,
white marble statues and museums filled
with antiquities large and small.

The sights and sounds in every town
Of a marketplace lost in time, 
Selling goods from almonds to wildwood 
And candles to clocks that chime.  

In the land of the Eye of Horus,
the son of Osiris the King,
and Isis, Queen Precursor
to Mary, Mother of God, Creator of everything.

Cradle of Christianity and home to
Pagan, Gnostic, Muslim, Jew, sanctuary
where the Holy Family fled from evil
to a warm and welcomed refuge.

Where the mighty Sphinx and Pyramids
stand silent, proud, and tall,
in the salutary sands of time
with eyes peering down upon us all.

Temples of Luxor, Abu Simbel
and Colossi of Memnon,
Valleys of the Kings, Queens and Hatshepsut
awakened, alive again each dawn.

Mummification, adulation
of life and death and stars,
Constellations, incantations
and the wonders of who we are.

Battle tested, rarely rested
waiting for the next invasion,
of Persians, Greeks, Romans and those who seek
your immeasurable treasures unabated.

The ebb and flow of come and go
throughout your long, hard years
of growing seasons, rhythms and reasons
to keep fighting back the tears.

Yet never waned while fighting flames
of one invasion to the next,
while still your people smile and sing
with a yoke upon their neck.

In a land that never loses the allure or 
enigma of mankind's birth,
where magic and myth still hold their grip
on whatever we think life’s worth.

Mother Egypt, truth be told, I miss you more than all your gold
and antiquities that survive,
where I once sipped cappuccino
watching history passing by.

Copyright © | Year Posted 2022




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Date: 1/24/2023 8:08:00 PM
You are a very good writer, judging by this poem, Terry. I just now saw an old comment you had made to me months ago and I apologize if this is my first time to respond to you.
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Date: 9/18/2022 6:14:00 PM
Wow Terry you surely know Egypt. You mentioned the Pagan Gods you surely know her well my friend. I gather from reading you either lived there or maybe a vacation there you took. Love your reflection of Egypt and the history. I am glad you are writing again. Blessings my friend...
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Date: 9/16/2022 4:44:00 PM
A touching story of memories past. Thank you for sharing your memories for they are all that last. A very informative write my friend. I've never been to Egypt, but your poem halped me to see how others love their homeland. Welcome back! :-) Terry. A poet friend in Texas, Bill
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