Only the pleats
Hinted at concealment
Interrupting the transparency
With equidistant vertical lines
Enough to arouse curiosity
Yet sufficient to provide a sense of protection
To the body that occupied it
Bronzed by the sun
Its smooth, featureless extensions bordered
By precious stones --
Turquoise and lapis lazuli
Emerald and ruby
Eyes that flash like shiny fish
Outlined in black
A mouth pursed
And sealed with red ochre
In fluid motion,
Her hand snaps softly
As the papyrus bends in obeisance
To the quiet summer breeze
Skipping along the surface
Of the great river
When Her golden ring caught the sun
And its crystal suddenly burst like novae
On a clear blue day
In the city of Memphis
Because She was
The Queen of Egypt
