Welcome to the Bespoke Traveler podcast. A space where curious explorers can listen to immersive tales connecting nature, culture, and identity.
Come journey with us as we question ideas of home, deepen relationships with place, trouble notions of border, and challenge our perceptions of memory.
In this episode of Bespoke Traveler, we contemplate the things that matter the most.
Notes on Excavation
A thousand birds I saw at Ur-Chaldea
laid out before a mummified woman
their clipped wings bent forward
so she could soar to Marduk
in the afterlife
Across the western Sahara
they bundled the bodies
like packages nested on flower beds
dreaming eternity
The queen of the Jade Jaguars
had her handmaidens sacrificed
death being a lonely journey
for one of such noble blood
They were buried
in with
deerskin wheat seeds
gold cloth amber beads
iron shields broken hilts
linen plaster wine jars
cannabis leaves reed pillows
So much to treasure to throw away
in ages forward to puzzle over
useless heaps
none of it accessible to the departed
I’ve learned my lesson from excavations
Bury me in soft earth
with the sound of trees clawing upwards
naked
so the dirt is my shroud
and my prized possession
Bespoke Traveler Note:
“Notes on Excavation” was first published in Arc Poetry’s 90th issue, titled “Labour and Livelihood.”
Thank you for listening. And a special thank you to Bespoke Traveler Plus members. If you love what we do, consider becoming a paid subscriber. “Notes on Excavation” was written and narrated by Atreyee Gupta. For more, head to our website at www.bespoketraveler.com.
