Anubis

My minds eye travels for malms,
To these golden lands,
Domains of god-kings,
Amidst the most ancient of civilisations,
There is still respect for death,
In its ghastly canid form,

Anubis or Anpu,
Archon and keeper of our final destination,
Still regal in his purpose,
Despite animalistic visage,
The dead must be embalmed and carried on,
They have a sustained journey ahead,

The wolfs head may inspire fear,
But his howls echo over the sands for no ill feeling,
Simply to ward evil from the graves,
Growls and snarls against desecration,
To protect the dead,
As they are ushered towards the stars in the after.