Ushabti - poem by BJ Tate with slideshow

In ancient Egypt, a ushabti (also spelled shabti, shawabti) was a little statuette which was interred with a deceased person. Its task was to answer for his or her master in the afterworld and serve in that individual's place, should the gods require it. Ushabtis might be made of wood, metal, clay or stone. Often they were formed of faience, which usually acquired a turquoise blue glaze. It contained ground copper as one of its ingredients. The ushabti, although a faithful servant, was soulless and doomed to eternal labor on behalf of the master or mistress who got to enjoy a much more blissful existence. My metaphorical, modern ushabti has her own story to tell.

This poem is also included in Triggerfish Critical Review and is part of an Egyptian sequence I've written. http://www.triggerfishcriticalreview.com

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• ushabti
• poem
• poetry
• museum
• photography
• Egypt
• afterlife
• Brenda Tate
• Triggerfish

[clgrellas]

What a wonderful poem!