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A Hymn to Ra
Accept me, Ra, before you go, before I go, I pray ... Do polychromatic dawn threads coat you, like the tiny coruscating disks sewn into a sequin dress? Bring me to the breast of the night, let me suckle stars, cuddle obsidian cosmos ancestors ... They honor you, Ra, like I do. We sing your praises when you rise, we weep whenever you duck under the earth. Embrace me, like a mother, O eternal night! Fold me, like a black origami flamingo, forever protected by dark paper, dark praise ... Let all be run by your rule, Ra! You know I’m your right-hand man, right? You made me into a microchip, a code that doesn’t die ... Hand me over to the hours of day and night. Time is my bulletproof vest. I’m an ankle-tagged newborn tongue-tied to the nipple of dawn, the teat of dusk. A child of the dark, midnight skies move over my skin, black-limbed angels of unburdened air, ardent guardians, keep me close, but I fear the bulls with backward horns ... O hula hoop of light, eye of Ra, unremitting rage, you are my 24/7 security squad, discover me as your gift ... Translated from the Old Egyptian