Tweetspeak Poetry

  • Home
  • FREE prompts
  • Earth Song
  • Every Day Poems—Subscribe! ✨
  • Teaching Tools
  • Books, Etc.
  • Patron Love

The Songs of King Tut 1

By Glynn Young 5 Comments

This past Thursday, we had another one of our poetry jams on Twitter, this one augmneted by a new technology tool (see the main home page for what it looks like). The prompts from @tspoetry were all taken from Treasures of Tutankhamun, published by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Technology, Tut, Twitter, TweetSpeak – we must have a thing for Ts around here.

Here are the first group of poems, under the general heading of “Songs of King Tut.”

Songs of King Tut

By @llbarkat, @PoemsPrayers, @mmerubies, @KathleenOverby, @MonicaSharman, @togetherforgood, @mxings, @mdgoodyear, @mattpriur, and @PhoenixKarenee, edited by @gyoung9751

Slats, Joints and Slants

Through dim, linen-touched light of
the papyrus scented candle, a scent to
make a royal husband happy, I peered
at you through wooden slats, saw the
curve of your back slanted from me. I
found your verses telling it slant. We all
tell it slant, I think, how can we help it?
Well, at least I’m somewhere relevant.
I want to slant into God, slide down the
words and down God’s throat.

I closed my eyes and dreamed that
God was touching my skin and flesh,
with His bare hands circling me,
joints of hands working, loving, healing.
Then He’s stretching me again,
always pulling at my skin,
pressing on my muscles.
Tonight, for a brief hour, I stretched
each joint out, across the blankets, and
slept.

Ivory and Ebony

Ivory hooves, tusks to carry burdens .
Papyrus, ivory-beaded drums thundering.
I was not born with such ivory skin. I was
darker and somehow faded… fade… filmy
disappearance, then dark wood, dark as
night, carried from far away. No
do not say it; the drums don their own
dress, tinny accesories and syncopated beads
carried on ebony shoulders.
Unshod feet drum a rhythm.

Spirals

Spirals and signs, making it mine,
My life is bordered by continuous
spirals. Thoughts whirring, swirling,
stirring.
Write it on your heart, paint it on the wall.
He worships her shoulder and the spirals of
history freckled down the back of her
slender neck.

I look back over my own
shoulder at the spirals of choices that
fall away behind me.
I will paint my wall with splashes of
victorious color, and little drips of
disappointment, shadowed by the
spirals of joy following a spiral border
always looking back.

Watch your step or the spine will stick
you, and your desert guide will react
with insurance-inspired caution. I like
it when you kiss my freckles, warm soft
lips tenderly taking each dark dot into
careful consideration. My lion of a man
showers me with spirals of fresh love,
plucked from God’s hand.

In Santa Fe, the free standing spiral
staircase still inspires.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Glynn Young
Follow Glynn
Glynn Young
Editor and Twitter-Party-Cool-Poem-Weaver at Tweetspeak Poetry
Glynn Young lives in St. Louis where he retired as the team leader for Online Strategy & Communications for a Fortune 500 company. Glynn writes poetry, short stories and fiction, and he loves to bike. He is the author of Poetry at Work and the Dancing Priest Series. Find Glynn at Faith, Fiction, Friends.
Glynn Young
Follow Glynn
Latest posts by Glynn Young (see all)
  • Do You Remember the First Poetry Book You Bought? - September 26, 2023
  • Poets and Poems: Yvor Winters and “Selected Poems” - September 19, 2023
  • “The Battle of Maldon” by J.R.R Tolkien, Edited by Peter Grybauskas - September 12, 2023

Filed Under: poetry

Get Every Day Poems...

Comments

  1. Kathleen says

    May 2, 2010 at 11:06 am

    Thanks Glynn.

    Reply
  2. n davis rosback says

    May 2, 2010 at 11:35 am

    the song of king tut?

    i can’t seem to help it…
    “this” is what i think of

    Reply
  3. n davis rosback says

    May 2, 2010 at 11:38 am

    King Tut (King Tut)
    Now when he was a young man,
    He never thought he’d see
    People stand in line to see the boy king.

    (King Tut) How’d you get so funky?
    (funky Tut) Did you do the monkey?
    Born in Arizona,
    Moved to Babylonia (king Tut).

    (king Tut) Now, if I’d known
    they’d line up just to see him,
    I’d trade in all my money
    And bought me a museum. (king Tut)

    Buried with a donkey (funky Tut)
    He’s my favorite honkey!
    Born in Arizona,
    Moved to Babylonia (king Tut)

    Dancin’ by the Nile, (Disco Tut)
    The ladies love his style, (boss Tut)
    Rockin’ for a mile (rockin’ Tut)
    He ate a crocodile.

    He gave his life for tourism.
    Golden idol!
    He’s an Egyptian
    They’re sellin’ you.

    Now, when I die,
    now don’t think I’m a nut,
    don’t want no fancy funeral,
    Just one like ole king Tut. (king Tut)

    He coulda won a Grammy,
    Buried in his Jammies,
    Born in Arizona, moved to Babylonia,
    He was born in Arizona, got a condo made of stone-a,
    King Tut!

    Reply
  4. Heather says

    May 2, 2010 at 1:17 pm

    We are pretty deep-sounding. hee hee

    Reply
  5. laura says

    May 2, 2010 at 8:52 pm

    mmm. i love the thought of God touching skin that way.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

For the Writer in You

Take How to Read a Poem

Get the Introduction, the Billy Collins poem, and Chapter 1

get the sample now

Welcome to Tweetspeak

New to Tweetspeak Poetry? Start here, in The Mischief Café. You're a regular? Check out our September Menu.

Patron Love

❤️

Welcome a little patron love, when you help keep the world poetic.

Your Comments

  • From A to Z, the Abecedarian Isn't Just for Chaucer—Poetry Prompt! - Tweetspeak Poetry on How to Write an Acrostic Poem Infographic
  • Meghan Perez on Poets and Poems: Victoria Maria Castells and “The Rivers Are Inside Our Homes”
  • Megan Willome on By Heart: ‘Motherload’ + Li-Young Lee Challenge
  • Nichoel Saltekoff on By Heart: ‘Motherload’ + Li-Young Lee Challenge

Join the Year of the Monarch

How to Write Poetry

Featured In

We're happy to have been featured in...

The Huffington Post

The Paris Review

The New York Observer

Tumblr Book News

Stay in Touch With Us

Categories

Learn to Write Form Poems

How to Write an Acrostic

How to Write a Ballad

How to Write a Catalog Poem

How to Write a Ghazal

How to Write a Haiku

How to Write an Ode

How to Write a Pantoum

How to Write a Rondeau

How to Write a Sestina

How to Write a Sonnet

How to Write a Villanelle

5 FREE POETRY PROMPTS

Get 5 FREE inbox poetry prompts from the popular book How to Write a Poem

Shakespeare Resources

Poetry Classroom: Sonnet 18

Common Core Picture Poems: Sonnet 73

Sonnet 104 Annotated

Sonnet 116 Annotated

Character Analysis: Romeo and Juliet

Character Analysis: Was Hamlet Sane or Insane?

Why Does Hamlet Wait to Kill the King?

10 Fun Shakespeare Resources

About Shakespeare: Poet and Playwright

Top 10 Shakespeare Sonnets

See all 154 Shakespeare sonnets in our Shakespeare Library!

Explore Work From Black Poets

About Us

  • • A Blessing for Writers
  • • Annual Theme 2022: Perspective
  • • Annual Theme 2021: Generous
  • • Our Story
  • • Meet Our Team
  • • Literary Citizenship
  • • Poet Laura
  • • Poetry for Life: The 5 Vital Approaches
  • • T. S. Poetry Press – All Books
  • • Contact Us

Write With Us

  • • 5 FREE Poetry Prompts-Inbox Delivery
  • • 30 Days to Richer Writing Workshop
  • • Poetry Prompts
  • • Submissions
  • • The Write to Poetry

Read With Us

  • • All Our Books
  • • Book Club
  • • Every Day Poems—Subscribe! ✨
  • • Literacy Extras
  • • Poems to Listen By: Audio Series
  • • Poet-a-Day
  • • Poets and Poems
  • • 50 States Projects
  • • Charlotte Perkins Gilman Poems Library
  • • Edgar Allan Poe Poems Arts & Experience Library
  • • William Blake Poems Arts & Experience Library
  • • William Shakespeare Sonnet Library

Celebrate With Us

  • • Poem on Your Pillow Day
  • • Poetic Earth Month
  • • Poet in a Cupcake Day
  • • Poetry at Work Day
  • • Random Acts of Poetry Day
  • • Take Your Poet to School Week
  • • Take Your Poet to Work Day

Gift Ideas

  • • Every Day Poems
  • • Our Shop
  • • Everybody Loves a Book!

Connect

  • • Donate
  • • Blog Buttons
  • • By Heart
  • • Shop for Tweetspeak Fun Stuff

Copyright © 2023 Tweetspeak Poetry · FAQ, Disclosure & Privacy Policy

We serve poetry with our cookies. Because that's the way it should be.
We serve poetry with your cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you... accept the cookies with a smile.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
update cookie prefs

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT