“sun-kissed”

beat
worn-out
from the heat and awe
waking up from a nap
on a couch in a hotel room
in Egypt on its Giza Plateau
facing the Pyramids
not staged by Hollywood but for real
no sight of the Sphinx
my eyes drooled over before
for i am lying flat and am still
the couch has no pillow-fill
my head might as well be on the ground
exhaustion keeps me from moving about

is this a postcard a dream or am i hallucinating

the wide wall-to-wall balcony window 
winks at me as instructed by the Sun
on a tray of bright and hot rays 
framed up by the bluest skies

the Pyramids tell me
my post-nap trance is here to stay
while i eye them intently intensely
in quest of an answer to the lure of their lore
nothing speaks back to me of course
all i know is in that which i see

i thus admit to myself
my newly-surfaced gut-instinct:
they may have been soaked by Man's sweat
but these inconceivable gifts to Earth
surely must have been touched at least once
by gods or goddesses of ancient times
or by the energy of their mightiest god's light

i stop to think and let it all be
while i hold on to my wits with all my might
for one thing is for sure:
this is being one hell of a ride

hülya n. yılmaz, 8.27.2018