i.
wet with fear, she anticipates her groom:
scarved in silk, jewels along her throat, her arms;
half nude dancing nymphs orbit her like moons.
ii.
pharaoh lures her gingerly, his dark charm
soft as pillows, soft as smooth whispered lips,
his breath the honey of a desert swarm.
iii.
her hands flat beside her, she twists her hips.
imagines her husband's precious new loot:
sheep, oxen, asses, long black leather whips.
