Huldah Glides Gracefully

Huldah Glides Gracefully
© Surazeus
2025 01 27

Aware she feels nothing like anxious hope, 
that other people hide behind nice smiles, 
Huldah glides gracefully in teeming crowd 
of women shopping in the marketplace, 
then pauses to gaze at the ziggurat 
where the faceless man rules over the world. 

"We humans must appear as small as ants 
to eye of the god-man who rules on high, 
but each individual soul in mortal flesh 
contains divine spirit of energy 
which emanates the same from every soul, 
no less divine than that arrogant man." 

Purchasing loaf of rye bread from Keres, 
who accepts coin stamped with face of Shamash, 
Huldah returns to mud house by the river 
where Hadad fills basket with mangar fish, 
lounges in shade of the date-laden palm, 
and watches flock of egrets in the reeds. 

"Heavy as sun-baked bricks in heat of noon, 
my heart buzzes with nameless anxious fear 
as if some terrible thing will appear 
and destroy this tranquil state of calm peace, 
and this dark fear urges me to perform 
dramatic deed to save myself from death." 

Animated by terror in her heart, 
Huldah races through crowded market streets, 
past dozens of ziggurats with estates, 
and up steep steps past startled guards with spears 
into grand court hall where God Shamash reigns 
just as Kingu shoots arrow at his heart. 

Leaping forward with compassionate cry, 
Huldah throws herself in front of the arrow 
that pierces her shoulder with tearing pain 
so she falls back in strong arms of Shamash 
who gazes deep in her eyes with surprise 
while guards stab Kingu with spears till he dies. 

Caressing her cheek as she lies in bed 
after healers clean and bandage her wound, 
Shamash smiles, "Ever since we were small wolves 
running wild along the river each day, 
you have saved me from harm, and taught me well 
to treat every soul with equal respect." 

Shamash cries, "Perform role of Queen Ishtar, 
and bear children who will reign after us." 
Smiling and kissing his cheek with respect, 
Huldah leaves and descends ziggurat steps, 
then returns home on the gold river shore 
where she eats roast fish with bread and grape wine.