Huge thank you and shoutout to the Chestnut Review for publishing what I consider to be one of my finest works yet! The editors asked me to remark upon the piece and I'll include that here in its entirety:
This poem is a devotional to classical Arabic epic poetry and a summation of the energies and ideas that came to the fore while wandering labyrinthine alleys of the ancient medina in Marrakech. Elaborate displays of spices, lamps, shoes, meat, perfume, whatever it is call out “Partake of me for I am beautiful.” The Baths of Azahara is a real place. The fountain and hammam of Ben Slimane are the oldest of the city. The protagonist is named Trik Jazouli, which roughly translates to “Path of (the person/object of) Jazoul.” In this poem, a tiny passageway from the medina is set vertical and made to wander the alleys and witness the dizzying splendor of the Ochre City, one of the busiest in Africa. In some places, the name for Morocco is still “Marrakech,” perhaps after the Amazigh (indigenous) word Murakush: “Land of God.”
Photo credit: Robert Fischer