To Susan, Nile Cruisin'

[Poem my dad wrote for his mother-in-law as she heads off to Egypt.]

To Susan, Nile Cruisin'

So you're heading off to Egypt--that is nice.
From one birder to another, some advice:
While those tourist guides are herding
All their charges, do some birding.
Go for grebes instead of Thebes and don't think twice.

See, the Sphinx is very old, and getting older,,
And the mummies are beginning, well, to moulder.
King Tut's treasures all are pretty
But that's not what makes me giddy--
The Sudan Golden-Sparrow is even golder.

It is true the Pyramids are quite historic
And I hate to sound too stiffly categoric,
But when I sneak off in Luxor
And I see Egyptian Ducks or
Sacred Ibises, well I just get euphoric.

Sure, the Valley of the Kings is just terrific.
It's their sparrows, if I may be more specific.
So forget the Cleo patter--
It's the birds that really matter--
Bird in hand is worth a pair in hieroglyphic.

Egypt is, for all ennui, the right prescription.
You will love, if you're like me, all things Egyptian,
For these ancient dying cultures
All attract a lot of vultures--
Any bird book will provide a full description.

Yes, enjoy the tombs, their gaudy reds and pinks--
More spectacular than everybody thinks--
But binoculars keep ready,
Hold your hand and body steady
Cuz you just might see some pigeons on the Sphinx.