The Virtue Of The Sphinx. Poem by Swati Sinha

The Sphinx is a strange creature they say quite profound
Half man half lion........
Somewhere in the ruins of ancient Egypt was where it was found.
The archaeologist gave it publicity due
The Sphinx from ruin travelled to city museum
Thus made the founder`s desire for publicity come true.
Whether it was a symbol of power, eco-friendliness, vegetarianism, cruelty, mysticism,
Is very difficult to say.
The Sphinx remained a sphinx in its own stony way.
From the scholarly din of history, sculpture, archaology, the Sphinx was far away.`
Languishing was the sphinx in a vault on date.
When the President of U.S.A. visited this tiny nation-state.
The erudite Madam P.M., herself in ancient history a doctorate
Showed the guests around the Sphinx,
In a manner highly appropriate.

As Madam P.M. narrated
How thw sensibilities of the ancients were unstated
Mr. President hallucinated
That the sphinx had farted.
So foul a smell the air had permeated.
Madam P.M. too got a shock
For she had never thought
How natural it was
To expurge something so outdated.

On successive visits of any dignitary
This way the sphinx punctuated the itinerary
Punching nitrogeneous gases into the air
The sphinx its disgust made very clear
At the manner in which it was represented.

Thereupon it became famous as the farting statue
From afar folks came to inhale its gases
Henceforth farting became a virtue
For all who resented false talk by the intellectual classes.