Scarab

That humble little beetle,
Oft regarded as vermin,
A shoveler of dung,
But it’s a talisman,
A pearlescent amulet,
The god Khepri on Earth,

An icon of regeneration,
Carved of stone or faience or jasper,
These creatures are the heavenly cycle,
Day to night to sunrise,
Life to death to rebirth,
The inescapable truth,

Indeed,
Even within your funerary casket,
You’ll still find a scarab,
Sewed on to your chest,
Wings splayed,
Waiting for your return in rolled dung.