Poetics 2

The King


In an unfamiliar room
of a strange country,
we are both foreigners.

He came from far away,
the country of tough wind
and hot sands

The words were written,
but I could not read them.
He was sitting in front of me,
but he did not say anything.

He lost his arms.
His waist got broken.
And his face was worn out.

However, he was pretending
to be indifferent.




I chose the statue of Ramesses II in Penn Museum because the statue gave me a deep impression. When I saw the statue at the first time, I thought why that is here not Egypt. Then, I suddenly recognized that I have kept asking the question to me since I came in America. I felt I did not belong to here, and I thought the Ramesses II does not belong here either. Therefore, I wrote about this feeling.
First of all, I observed the room that the statue in. Ramesses was the greatest king in Egypt, but the room was look shabby to him. The statue was in the middle of the big room, and people just pass by it. There is nothing to protect it.
Next, I observed the statue itself. There were the letters on the chair that the Ramesses was sitting, and there is vague explanation about that. There is a big crack on its waist. The arms were gone, and the face was worn out. I wrote about these observations.
Writing this ekpharastic poem, I focused on the connection between the statue and me. It left its country, and it is broken. I left my country, and I was wounded in my mind. I think that is the different from an object poem. I personified the statue of Ramesses as a person. Also, I could express the surroundings of the statue. Therefore, I could write more vivid poem.
However, that was just only my feeling about the statue. I wonder everybody could sympathize with me, and that is the difficult part of writing this ekpharastic poem to me.