Judgement Of The Gods Poem by M S Latter

"'Let my people go! '
the Lord God of Israel says",
declared Moses.

"Who is the Lord,
that I should obey? "
Pharaoh retorted.

Pharaoh's Egypt —
destroyer of dynasties,
superpower of the ancient world,
king slayer,
nation enslaver —
protected by its many mighty gods.

And now dictated to
by a Hebrew outcast
and his unknown God.

The wooden staffs thrown down
writhe into snakes
commencing
the collision of kingdoms.

Hebrew snake
devours Pharaoh's snakes,
in full view of Pharoah's Wadjet,
the snake goddess.

The plagues then fall
on Egypt
from river to
sky to land
and people.

The Nile —
lifeblood of Egypt —
turns to stinking blood.
Hapy, goddess of the Nile
silent.

From the Nile,
frogs smother the land and
Heket, frog goddess,
permits.

The dust of Egypt
rises up as lice.
Pharaoh's sorcerers cease their mimicry
and cry: 'This is the finger of God! '.

Then swarms of insects
strike Egypt.
Kheper, beetle-headed god,
absent.

Livestock die and rot in the fields.
Apis and Hathor the cow gods,
Khrum the ram god,
voiceless.

Boils afflict the Egyptians.
Thoth of magic,
Imhotep of medicine,
and Isis —
heal no one.

Hail and fire
fall from the sky.
The sky goddess, Nut,
bypassed.

Locusts devour the land.
Senehem, locust-headed god of harvest,
Seth and Min —
do not protect the crops.

Darkness falls over Egypt for three days.
Darkness so thick it can be felt
and blots out Ra,
Egypt's mighty sun god.

Then the final plague of judgement.
Every first born child of Egypt,
including Pharaoh's,
die.
Horus, protector of Pharaoh,
impotent.

Yahweh,
the true God,
brought Egypt to its knees
on the deathbed
of its demonic pride.

'Who is the Lord, that I should obey? '