What secrets lie behind those sightless eyes?
What words remain unspoken by those muted lips?
Splendid in your solitude, presiding over barren sands
Relic of antiquity made inscrutable by time.
Awed, we gaze upon your enigmatic face
Charmed by the essence of your fading gaze
Veiled in ancient mystery, emblem of eternity
Focused on a future which persists beyond our ken.
Come, rise phoenix-like from that aeolian tomb!
Ascend the dunes and navigate the silken sands of yore
Spirit traversing the tracks of vanished acolytes
A wild wind whispering the secrets of the past.
Written in response to Sadje‘s What do You See #80 photo prompt.
Image credit: Alka Jha @ Unsplash
The image shows the Sphinx in the desert of Giza, Egypt.
Always attracted by the giant structure and the mysteries it carry. What if it actually rises one day and reveals the secrets of the past to the world. Enjoyed the poem.
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I could just see it in my mind’s eye… 😉 So pleased you enjoyed the poem, Kritika!
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😀 My pleasure always kindly 🙂
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Wonderful poem Chris. The enigmatic and mysterious Sphinx! Thanks for joining in
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It was a wonderful prompt to write to, Sadje! Worth the wait 🙂
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Thanks 🙏
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Reblogged this on Keep it alive and commented:
Reblog; A wonderful poem from Chris Hall!
Enjoy
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So grateful for the support, Sadje. It means a lot. 🙂
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It’s always a pleasure Chris. Same here, I appreciate your kind support
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Splendid in your solitude, presiding over barren sands
Relic of antiquity made inscrutable by time.
Loved these lines Chris.. beautifully penned
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Thanks so much, HS 🙂
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Wow. I’ve visited the Sphinx and felt the history there and with the Pyramids, but wished I could see what they’ve witnessed over time. Slowly they reveal some secrets, but they keep far more under wraps!
Great poem, Chris! 🙂
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Oh, I’m so envious, Tom! There’s so much we don’t know about that ancient culture. Really fascinating.
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It is. I think I may have said before I would love to have the ability to tap into the past by touching something… imagine the sights to be seen!
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I think you already have, Tom 😉 At least in your imagination. How else could you have seen the spherical pyramids?
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Ah, but that was Rabletop’s vision, not mine. Although I must’ve tapped into that somehow… 🤔
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Oh, it really does feel like the Sphinx is waiting, doesn’t it? Any day, any sunset, it could shake the sands of the present off its back and walk into the past to awaken the gods. And then we’re in trouble! 🙂
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Echoes of ‘The Mummy’ perhaps? 😉
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Ah, perhaps! Any version…except the one with Tom Cruise. That was ridiculous. 🙂
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I don’t think I saw that one. Thanks for the warning!!
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Ahhhhh sooooo intriguing indeed Chris …this is beautiful..and yes, we both are in the “wondering page” today..
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One of my favourite places to be 🙂
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Aw, that makes 3 of us Me, you and Sadje
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Lovely lines, wrapped in an element of mystery….just like the mysterious sphinx.
Loved it. 😊
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Thanks so much, Goutam! 🙂
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You are most welcome. 🙂
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A magnificent poem for the delightful Sphinx. Well done.
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So pleased you enjoyed it, Mason. 🙂
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likkin ma cheops!
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Maybe the Great Pharaoh will rise again too!
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i don t think so.
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😉
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Great sense of wonder and ancient mystery here, Chris! 🙂
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Thanks, Tom! I’ve always been captivated by the ancient Egyptian culture.
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Awesome poem, Chris! Wonderful! 😊
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Thanks so much, Jeff, I’m pleased that you enjoyed it. 🙂
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You’re welcome, Chris! I did, indeed. 😊
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Your poem evokes the mystery and fascination of ancient Egypt very vividly! I don’t think the Sphynx is ever going to give up his secrets, though.
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I suspect you’re right about the Sphinx, Liz. Imagine if he did though… 😉
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That would be quite something. In the meantime, writers have been doing it for him. I wonder what he thinks about that!
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Ha ha! This is true. If I choose that path, I’ll be sure to give him due respect 😉
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😀
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Wow! Your poetry just keeps getting better and better. I doff my imaginary hat to you 🎩
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Ooh Susan, you’re making me blush! 😀
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I’ve always been fascinated by ancient civilizations and ruins. Your poem really captures that fascination!
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Me too, Debra! I’m glad you enjoyed the post. 🙂
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I love a good mystery 🎉
We stay wondering
~B
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We’re going to be wondering week by week… this little story could run for a while. Thanks for stopping by, B. 🙂
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stories that dont end…. even better lol
~B
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All so good. Great ending note!
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Thanks so much, Benjamin!
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Welcome, Chris!
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[…] Chris Hall; Enigma of Giza […]
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“The Arab historian al-Maqrīzī, writing in the 15th century, attributes the loss of the nose to Muhammad Sa’im al-Dahr, a Sufi Muslim from the khanqah of Sa’id al-Su’ada in 1378, who found the local peasants making offerings to the Sphinx in the hope of increasing their harvest and therefore defaced the Sphinx in an act …”
There is so much controversy and history involving the Sphinx. If you go to the Wiki information site you can see part of the Sphinx ‘beard’ in a glass case. One Pharaoh was supposed to be lead to uncover the Sphinx in a dream, but he wasn’t the one to build it. With the head being so out of proportion with the body some believe the head wasn’t original and the original was more ‘animal’ than ‘human’.
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Thanks for the info, Jules. Fabulous ‘story fodder’ isn’t it?
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‘Splendid in your solitude’ was lovely, Chris. Truly one of the tourist traps that doesn’t disappoint.
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Thanks, Matthew! It’s a place I’ve long wanted to visit. One day… at least I’m on the same continent now.
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This feels exquisite beautiful to read
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Thank you, Kally!
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