such arid silence—
each side of the horizon
neither pond nor frog
***
from aleph to hamza
letters as swirling magic—
stars swooped down to earth
***
all yang and no yin—
women turned shadows, even
the lingerie vendors bearded
***
‘Forbidden, forbidden,’
yabbers meddling man—
Nature quietly lets be
***
another April —
the nearest cloud
several months away
***
a swimming-pool’s iridescent blue
squares up to
the surrounding swelter
***
after the hailstorm
several thousand
pocked vehicles
***
oceanic dryness
complete with swirl and ripple—
its anemones now stone
***
the emir’s place floodlit and empty—
around it low-lying porter-cabins,
several guest-workers per single room