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Eternity in Egypt
by
Diana Anhalt


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Egyptian aristocrats crammed the essentials into tombs:
henna, kohl, diadems, thrones, favorite cats, an ibis perhaps,
      robes, rings, grain, registries.

Space exhausted, they chiseled and painted afterthoughts
      onto walls:
Line after line of subjects bear fish, ducks, board games,
game, grapes, round loaves,
sheaves of wheat, wine vessels, sea vessels, friends, coffers;
      chairs, musical instruments,
surgical instruments, spices, horses, sheep, shoes—
provisions for afterlife.
(Please, God.)

I, who have trouble packing for a weekend—
How would I stockpile for eternity?
(We’re speaking forevers here.)

Would I want wine with every meal? Water, tea, beer, cocoa?
If cocoa, cinnamon, a pinch of nutmeg, milk, sugar,
      marshmallows,
a china cup and saucer, spoon, linen napkins
      embroidered with cherries.
(There might be guests.)

I suppose I could forgo the ibis, the cats, the throne
but how many pairs of shoes do I pack?
How do I choose?

(No afterlife weather reports in our paper.)
Slippers, sneakers, hiking boots, riding boots, pumps,
      water fins—
Should I opt for practicality or go with gilded sandals?
And when no inch of wall space remains—What then?
Are there ditto marks the gods will understand?
A celestial etcetera tagged on to the end?

Tell me: Is it worth the aggravation?
(No one seems to know.)


This poem first appeared in Buckle & (1999) and Nuesta Voz (2004).
Used here with the author’s permission.


Diana Anhalt, a former high school English and history teacher and a newsletter editor, was a longtime resident of Mexico City up until recently, but is now living in Atlanta, Georgia. She comes from a long line of wanderers, which might help explain why much of the fiction she has published deals with exile, expatriation, and identity. Her articles and book reviews have been published in both Mexico and the United States and she is the author of A Gathering of Fugitives: American Political Expatriates in Mexico 1948-1965, (Archer Books, 2001). Diana’s poetry, which has appeared in numerous journals, tends to focus on human relationships and quirky situations.


Post New Comment:
ARealWriter:
How many pairs of panties does one pack for eternity?!?!?
Posted 02/17/2011 01:40 PM
Buckner14:
Delightful wit--and certainly relevant to our consumer society!
Posted 02/17/2011 12:15 PM
anitawen:
Diane, I like the twists and connections and humor in your poem. Thanks for sharing Anita Wender
Posted 02/17/2011 10:35 AM
Susan :
Such wonderful juxtapositions: eternity/weekend; throne/shoes; wall in a great pyramid/ditto marks -- so human and so funny. I love it!
Posted 02/17/2011 10:14 AM
wendy morton:
Yes, linen napkins embroidered with cherries. All these lovely details. What shoes?
Posted 02/17/2011 10:11 AM
karenpaulholmes:
Just love this, Diana. It's one of those poems I wish I had written -- funny and smart.
Posted 02/17/2011 09:05 AM


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