Hatshepsut

Hatshepsut was not silenced
in Amber drops of history
no art could be buried
in temples desecrated
in the Valley of the Kings

her legacy lives
not in alabaster statues
shattered along a bleeding Nile
nor on Sphinx
sand-eroded wings
resurrected by
recumbent paw prints of time

it is the living life of Beauty
that reigns supreme in the
heart of the creator as it
dusts off Ibis dreams,
paints a poem in Juniper skies.


~Anna~


Hatshepsut's Birthday
July 27th, 2008

Color of the day: Amber
Incense of the day: Juniper

Hatshepsut was a female pharaoh in Egypt. Attempts to erase her from history
by smashing the temples and statues built during her reign failed; in fact,
she resides in her own room in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Egyptian
wing. Hatshepsut was a patron of the arts. Celebrate her birthday by performing
an act of creation in her name. Write, paint, dance, take photographs, cook,
sew, create a collage — perform any creative act and dedicate it to her. Find a
photograph of one of her sphinxes and place it on your desk. Do a bit of
research and “discover” another artist history has forgotten. Honor that
person’s
work in Hatshepsut’s name. She was a smart, intelligent, determined woman,
and under her reign Egypt’s intelligentsia flourished. How can you continue
her legacy? By creating, yes, but also by supporting and encouraging your
fellow artists.

By: Cerridwen Iris Shea