Thoth Finally Emerges…
Three previous visits to Egypt had resulted
In no sightings of an ibis. Not one trace
Had there been and even during my latest visit to the exalted
River Nile, nine unsuccessful days had passed at quite a pace.
As the voyage headed towards Luxor from a mooring in Edfu overnight,
The river vessel cruised passed many wading birds amongst the shallows and the weeds,
Motionless like statues, or in low speculative flight
And more in hope than expectation I took many shots of life between the reeds…
When the cruiser docked at Luxor’s long quayside, I felt some regret,
As I trudged to the cabin to sort through the images I had made.
A little disappointed, I trawled through pictures of herons and egrets,
Saving some, deleting others, as deep into backgrounds I peered and surveyed.
And then, as the final few images were enlarged and cropped,
Five dark birds featured with long bills downwardly curving!
Glossy ibises! I couldn’t believe it! And my eyes suddenly popped!
My ambition had finally been satisfied but the realisation was still strangely unnerving…
Pete Ray…
21st November 2025…
I was so impressed to see a glossy ibis, albeit right at the end of the holiday.
I used to teach classes of children about ancient Egypt, in role as an imaginary scribe, Thoth-Hotep, at Birmingham’s Museum.
Scribes would worship the god Thoth, with its ibis head and although I had seen a wayward glossy ibis in Hayle, Cornwall, one time, I had never seen any in Egypt, until Wednesday, 19th November 2025…
Loved that…
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.