Salmon-chip Cookies

Never thought I’d see myself
(A giant in red and white and black)
Reduced to a flag on someone’s shelf
For them to trade me forth and back

For years and years, I’d grow and thrive
The banks of the Nile were a fertile land
Like ants in a hill and bees in a hive
My men achieved goals great and grand

They reaped the fruits of what they sow
My men were tall and dark and proud
With a sword and an axe and a shield and a bow
They gave not an inch of sacred ground

Not long ago, in ages past
The world would look at me in awe
I never doubted I would last
Until the end of time and law

Pyramids and a sphinx stood guard for a while
By Ebn Al-‘as I was then claimed
For a new dawn on the banks of the Nile
And scholars studied and soldiers trained

For centuries, I was the Arabs’ shield
Helping them in peace and war
For proud Egyptians would never yield
As long as an enemy remains at the door

But in modern times, I have grown ill
Plagued with men both vile and lame
Traitorous men, who for a dollar bill
Would defile me and destroy my name

They use religion as a means
To move the masses as they please
They make less sense than a tin of beans
Or a batch of Salmon-chip cookies

So Egyptians everywhere, hear the plea
Of an Egypt in most dire need
Of loyal men, both strong and free
To put an end to lust and greed.