THEY MUST CONSIDER US POOR INDEED

The robbed tombs of kings and queens

gave us a few bones, some trinkets of gold

and broken pottery.

A line of writing here, a name there.
Everything else stolen long, long ago
by those who have no name now.

Thus the rich robbed the poor,
to send themselves to the life
beyond death in style.

And the poor robbed the tombs,
mutilated the bodies, set them on fire,
and robbed us, we who
   
would like to have a mummy
and a golden mask, treasures
to be put on display.

At least they would have
full stomaches and some fine things,
perhaps, until it came time for them

to die and be put in meager tombs.
And we, we who dig up and salvage
of the past what we can,

we who ride this particular wave
in the churning ocean of time,
leave but little in our graves

for archaeologists of the future
to find and write about.
They must consider us poor indeed.

17.01.2009-02.10.2020