Passed by in the Night
Were you
not awoken --
By the exotic perfumes of Arabia
The foul stench of excrement
The eerie
chanting of the blind
The unintelligible chattering of the apes
The hissing of the snakes
They will
still be walking when you wake
But miles away miles away.
Only
The fire-eater
wants to juggle
The lifter wants to ride
The clown wants to be the master
The acrobat
wants to be the clown
The dancer wants to sing
While the master wants to tame
And the
lions want to be cats --
Only the elephant is happy.
Tiredness
It is the
flute that takes you home
At the waning of the day
It mends the scars
Balms and
bathes the brow
And beckons you to bed
Beneath the midnight stars
Clears the
heartburn
And soothes the static in the head.
The Wise Man
The travelling
wise man is never lost
For words -- "In all your days
What's upset you the most?"
"Not
knowing where to lie my bones
And not knowing how to feed my flesh"
"If you're so wise, why do these worry you?"
"The
brain is but the icing on the cake --
It is the appetite that counts."
Despair
The ruins
of the ancient days
Surround us with their ills
The daily horrors drive us
To despair
-- until this ordinary life
Overflows the lake it fills
While all this occurs
There is
life abundant --
You can be happy still.
Worries
Though the
worries of the world
Be upon your childish brow
And violence makes you ill
You can
be happy still
Though your heart has stopped
And every emotion's died
And you
have lost your will --
You can be happy still.
Farewell
Farewell
loneliness
I do not need you anymore
You have been my crutch my admirer
I have been
faithful to you
I have always praised you
My lips have served you
My loving
hands have held you up
I owe everything to you.
Thank You Loneliness
I called
you to come to me
You were ever ready
I thank you
I did not
betray you when I was
Called to -- I have always
Protected you in my way
You have
been my only comfort
I am now ready to forget you.
Loneliness
Giver of
life and strength to resist
I have no need of you anymore
Do not think I have grown arrogant
I have grown
restless I know
I am ready to throw you off
Barbarian whom I cherished
With your
knee always weighed
Down upon my throat.
Adventure
The old
curiosity has returned
The old passion re-tapped
My arms oiled -- in readiness
Odysseus'
sailor on the mast
I was your lookout
Precious moments we had together
On the sea
-- I was your sailor
You were my hero.
Danger
I was hungry
and ate my fill
I ate a roc's egg --
Sinbad's giant bird
Lifted me
off the ship
I hang from its claws --
I could see a long way
Whole continents
of riches
Opened wide.
Precision
I used to
weep -- precisely
It was an exact joy
My laughs were hearty
My sighs
punctual
Smiles I could manage
My anger subdued
Until I
heard an organ-grinder
Twist out an irregular tune.
Escape
The seas
are there for all to sail
Queens and Kings are there on boats
It's time to make an escape
Leave in
the middle of the night
The voyage calls for us
The last cry is echoing out
The winds
sigh into the sails
Pick up your bracelet -- and run!
The Parade
The sunshine
slaked my thirst
For carnival and sport
The robins are delirious
Singing
their honey-filed songs
The whole countryside is gay
They do not notice the parade
Of the perfumed
Arabian lady
And the horse-pulled wagons.
Music
If I could
escape into music
That's where I'd live
Between the bass notes and the treble
Near the
violins for sweetness
The grand organ for instruction
And the polite cello for certainty
All the
music wrapped around
To lift my feet off the ground.
Glimpse
There was
a glimpse of other lands
From the mast-top
Minarets camels date-palms
Incense-vendors
crucifix sellers
Levantines and Persians
The markets were jammed
Every human
activity was going on
I could hear the snake-charmer's flute.
The Snake-charmer
It is her
eyes that charm
The snake and make him dance --
Her black velvet eyes
It is not
her shiny flute
For he is deaf to all that --
But the way she sways
She is too
young to deceive --
But the snake knows his Eve.
The Storm
Seven leagues
from shore -- endure
Watch -- there are monsters at large
Kicking up the waves
There is
no need to panic
Tie your hopes to the creaking barge
Whisper -- whisper prayers or whatever
You say
-- Tell the truth or lie
Endure the storm -- endure or die.
Sailing from Carthage
The peacocks
are shrieking
At your departure --
And well they might
You left
as you came
Haughty unrepentant beautiful
What did you learn?
To walk
quickly without turning --
Quickly away from any human feeling.
Majestic
You are
majestic in your departure
You have thrown your simple robes away
You are covered in gold
The King
is burning half the city
In pity for himself -- in pity for Carthage
He has killed five slaves that you might stay
He is riding
a camel endlessly
In and out of the filthy market-place.
Commander
Commander
of the Roman garrison
He calls himself a King
For no-one here disputes his law
He bores
his friends with tales
Of how he used to be a barbarian
Clawing and ripping apart his meat
Now he surrounds
himself with Plato and Aristotle
And has a nightingale to sing to him.
The Mistress
Too sick
at heart to lift a finger
The king does not stop you leaving --
You throw him a smouldering look
And go about
throwing the sailors
Into disarray - -All would marry you
One will kill himself for you
The captain
will give you silver --
Unaffected you long for Rome.
The Voyage Home
How complex
is your heart
And how simple your desires --
Luxury wealth and power
Is all you
seek
You do not ask for happiness
That comes at too high a price
The moon
is round
And full of you.
The Kidnap
The world
is full of those
Who will want to kidnap you
For your eyes your heart your hair
To escape
is easy for you're quick
Alert -- but do you dare
Unwrap the fearful angel
That many-layered
hostage
You keep within so well.
The Final Performance
You are
lost to me now --
You spend your days embroidering
Names in pink upon your heart
I have played
my final part
A tiresome circus hack -- And you?
Still death-defyingly beautiful
Your face
-- perfect as a child's
Your body and mind -- immaculate.
---- the end -----