Sinai Wild Rose

‘I would thank my parents, my wife, my sweet daughter…and my brother

for their encouragement and fruitful support during this study…’

Introduction to Final Report: Ecological and Conservation Assessment of Rosa Arabica in St Katherine, Egypt

Photographed together in the desert

doing what they call field work.

Four by a fig-tree, headscarves and backpacks.

Fifth must have taken this one.

Didn’t think to cover their tracks at all.

You can clearly make out faces.

Huddled in the shade with documents,

one’s scraping at the ground,

but this one’s raised his hands, possibly praying

or chanting, one is pointing.

They were collecting something. Nothing here now

but feral donkey faeces.

Bag it. These are later, these were the next day,

in with the local tribes,

indoctrinating children. More field work

no doubt. Looking for shrubs

my ass, my donkey. All we need to do now,

we have good people on it,

is figure out what saving must be code for.

And what in hell rose means.

Glyn Maxwell