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For Lower Nubia

Vandal Poem of the Day: May 16, 2017

by Matthew Shenoda

There was a time in this very spot

before the dam was resurrected

before the now dead president flooded a culture

when everything was black and brown.

Nubia thrived by the grace of Horus

people styled tombs.

Villages moved with the pace of elders

temples changed by time of day

everything was black and brown.

Now beneath the glimmer of a beautiful lake

relics evaporate from the surface

masks reflect in the ripples

their images stretching to the shore

and the only color left is blue.

from Seasons of Lotus, Seasons of BoneFind it in the library

Copyright © BOA Editions, Ltd 2009
Used with the permission of The Permissions Company, Inc.
on behalf of BOA Editions LTD.

Published in Matthew Shenoda Poems

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Idaho Humanities Council, a State-based program of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this (publication, website, exhibit, etc.) do not necessarily represent those of the Idaho Humanities Council or the National Endowment for the Humanities.