Enchantment.............. (for Colleen)
She chants me to sleep
in Arabic
And my soul flies off
on the wings of her voice
to Cairo
where the minarets
the domed mosques
the grand bazaar
spread below me, and
fragrant vapors rise
to greet me
from the teacups
of the carpetmongers
Then, her voice
recedes
and her presence passes
behind a black silk veil
while beneath me
clay houses
echo her refrain
in the empty City
of the Dead
I startle
I call out to her
from high above the parapets
and she returns
to chant me gently back
to sleep
and blessed dreams
Nestled now, my head
at her breast
I am transported
once again to heaven's
desert shore
enchanted
by the rhythms
engendered
by her heart
© 1995, TAJ
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~love
