The Sultan’s Tent
Veiled belly dancers gyrated,
delighting patron and guests
gorging on lamb and olives,
rosemary flecks in their teeth.
❧
Feathery fronds spun awhirl
as squirming houris charmed
between swipes at matbucha
or nips of steaming mint tea.
❧
Awaiting sizzling shish taouk,
emirs traded caravan hearsay,
fiercely rivaling one another
with reports of desert ghouls.
❧
Yet within the host’s soul,
a quest for insight stirred,
diverting regal attentions
from tinkling waist belts.
❧
Concerned with obscurities,
he forsook canopied luxury,
envious of unconfined stars,
keen to fathom their secrets.
Brandon Marlon is a writer from Ottawa, Canada. His poetry has been published in various places, including England, Greece, Israel, Singapore, Romania and Ireland.