January 25, 2017

Egyptian Garden, Biddulph Grange by Eira Needham

Bluebirds extend their wings
to flank a jonquil sun
above the entrance.
Twin sphinxes guard this door,
amid neatly clipped yews.

We creep into the mastaba,
spooked by a twilit passage,
where it's difficult to focus.
In the ensanguine chamber ahead
a grotesque figure squats.

Ape, attendant to Thoth, 
bathed in blood light awaits -
sculpted in feathered cape 
with oblong buckle fastening. 
Long ears frame a hog like face.  
Nostrils flare; mouth grimaces.

Returning down the tunnel
we will rediscover brightness -
yet to the left there's a short-cut
up steep stone steps, that vanish
into darkness, offering a portal
to the unknown.









Eira Needham is a retired teacher, living in Birmingham UK. Her poetry is eclectic and has been published in print and online. Some of her publications are in The Linnet’s Wings, Voices from the Web 2016 and Poetry Pacific. She has also been Featured Writer in WestWard Quarterly.

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