The Archaeologist's New Assistant
by Bob Bradshaw


"Thousands of lovers
have passed through these sands," he says.
"Almost all of them anonymous."

He slips his hand under my chin.
"What credentials do you have
to work with me?"

He whispers, "Many secrets
are unveiled here.
Overnight a royal mummy can rise
to the desert's surface.

Who knew even last week that you
existed? Yet here you are."

"I'm not a mummy, monsieur.
Besides, aren't you married?"
I ask as his hand, a scorpion,
crawls my thigh.

"I thought you were a restorer,
not a woman here to cause trouble."

The desert covers many things...
The next day he bought my ticket home.







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