Thursday, 9 February 2023

The Beaten Sun

 The Beaten Sun

 

The sun sets quickly here in Arabia

guttered shadows pitch into nightfall,

men who kneel on grassy knolls pray

in jalabiya, stayed by muezzin’s call,

whilst my old brown gumshoe stalks.

You’ll glimpse peepers, mirror discs,

black cats like me, perfectly at ease,

creepers elemental under palm trees

because you are, I am the bass man

double bowing across electric strings

to hang back-stage in back-thinking.

And here in Arabia, we plead for rain,

whilst our detective looks for motive

melancholy, where to pinhole blame:

rhythm sections keeping wasted time

knocking at hearts, plucking at lines

that fall heaven sent in robbed strains,

fill oxbow hearts with rivered refrains.

Roads to Arabia wind so hard and far

cosseted here behind her lead guitar,

reflect that I did once to Kingdom come

but too old, and never was too young

to keep time with drum, looking upon

the old setting heart of the beaten sun.



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