Sheila Charles PREPARING FOR ETERNITY
In 210 CE, the first emperor of China
Was buried in a vast tomb – so I read,
Which lay beneath a man-made mountain
And my reference book also said
That the tomb contained a model of China.
Mercury was used to represent the sea
But the following piece of information
Is what really interested ME!
Mercury, which is a toxic metal,
Was mistakenly believed to confer
Immortality on the Emperor
But instead, what DID occur
Was that the immortality pills made from mercury
Actually caused the Emperor’s death.
So at the young age of forty
He lay down and drew his last breath.
I thought the Pharaohs overdid things
But compared to ancient China, No.
Seven thousand terra-cotta warriors
And hundreds of horses. Not for show
But to equip him for life in the here-after.
There were forty-thousand bronze weapons and
terr-cotta musicians and acrobats.
It’s hard for us to understand.
Our kings and rulers get buried
In a wooden coffin. Not gold.
Certainly nothing like the customs
They had in days of old.
As for US, the common people,
A friend of relative MAY
Pop a photograph in or a war medal.
Definitely not objects made of clay!
(sOMEONE i KNOW PUT A c.d. IN.
How funny is that then eh?)
I WANT ALL MY POETRY BOOKS
PUT ON TOP OF ME. OKAY!
illustration by ume-nori
