Poems Found on My Visit to the Oriental Museum in Durham City

Ancient Chinese bowl: a poem in clay

The Scribe

There is nothing better

than a book

There is no profession

without a boss

Except for the Scribe -

he’s the boss.

(Satire on The Trades. Middle Kingdom. Egypt)

Zodiac

I wish I had been born

in the year of the hare:

sensitive but haughty

This is how

I see myself

But I was born

in the year of the snake:

fun-loving but clingy

This, perhaps, is how

others see me.

The Silk Gown

She stands tall, straight backed,

engulfed in pale stiff silk  

all gleaming sea-green,

embroidered with butterflies

and flowers

They say butterflies symbolise beauty

 and romance, even though the

inside her sleeve  the embroidery 

is invisible to the naked eye

of the onlooker 

 ©Wendy Robertson 2015