A Toast

How was Egypt?

They will ask me

In a bar

In New England

Old wood floor – pungent with beer

Rolling under my feet

The Atlantic Ocean mingling in the air

And I will think of

The giant sail 

Of a felucca slapping on its mast as we relax on the Nile (On the Nile!)

And I will think of

The color beige absolutely everywhere

In the desert as far as the eye can see, 

on my shoes, and countertops

a colorful sunset, vibrant spring flowers, no less than miracles for the eyes

And I will think of

My many sudden and terror-summoned visions

of my sons marrying

Without me present!

As my taxi, Suzuki, Mercedes . . .

actually misses! 

The other vehicle, person, donkey

And I will think of

Seeing the pyramids in the distance (the pyramids!)

Framed in a blood-red sun

an African sun bigger than life

reminding me like never before that I live on a planet

and of the passage of time

And I will think of

Listening to the echoes of bird songs

Among giant temple columns

And I will think of

Arabic, hummus, Fayrooz

And pantomiming

And being brave

And a little scared (OK terrified) sometimes

And I will take a sip of my beer (beer!)

And not know what to say

To my fellow New Englander

How long a conversation will it take

To explain?

Such a distant place

Another planet!

no one really knows what happens in a chrysalis

And I will think

And start . . . 

“Let me tell you about the people,

The people I met.”

The power of the human heart, the monument, memory, artifact, lesson,

That will come home with me to stay

A universal lexicon

It is an awesome thing to know such simple things-

We are all the same – people are good

I will bring these friends, Egyptian and Western alike, in stories with me

And drink to them,

And Egypt

MaryAnn Bartlett Cairo, Egypt April 30, 2010