Portrait of a Dead Princess
Spade the grave dirt cautiously.
Lift the crafted lid
of the Bronze Age coffin
slowly, with deliberate regard.
Extrapolate, interpolate
to add imaginary flesh
to fragmentary bones.
Trace a life's itinerary
in the strontium variations
in cloth and tooth enamel.
The data fields yield
the harvest of her story.
Lift the crafted lid
of the Bronze Age coffin
slowly, with deliberate regard.
Extrapolate, interpolate
to add imaginary flesh
to fragmentary bones.
Trace a life's itinerary
in the strontium variations
in cloth and tooth enamel.
The data fields yield
the harvest of her story.
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Author's Note
Prompted by a snippet I read about the Egtved Girl. Liberty's were taken with the facts of her case, of course.
Other stories by Gary Hardaway
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I kept thinking of Ravel's "Pavane for a Dead Princess" as I read this.*
Yes, Amanda, I selected the title as an echo of Ravel's lovely work.
Good poem, Gary.
Love the haunting opening line.
This one resonates-ates-ates-ates... *
Thank you, Amanda, Bill, and Matt for looking in on the Princess.
I fear that the data fields yield the harvest of all of our stories.*
Enjoyed the piece, Gary.
Thank you, Gary and Sam.
So many people seem to want her to be pretty, blond and blue-eyed, dewy kind of pretty, but... who knows and what of the baby? *
Yes, James, what shall we make of the cremated remains?
Imaginary flesh. Says so much. *
Thank you, John.