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Stone vats of colored dyes and white liquids.Hides of cows, sheep, goats, and camels.The eager salesman explained the process,how hides need to soak for two or three daysamong cow urine and pigeon fecesto clean and soften the skins for the dyes,natural colorants like indigoand henna and poppy. Then they areContinue Reading

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They keep doves in the palace & release themCeremoniously each sunset to mark the workOf women greeting husbands return from warThey light candles to hide the scent of sweatIn the red bedchambers while children watchMaids turndown sheets warmed w/ stonesFrom the garden where their mothers weepSilently mid prayer let usContinue Reading

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The process of this tattoo-makingrequires a steady hand, unshaking,so a continuous line can be laiddown by the needle’s glass blade. Precisely like a surgeon’s scalpel,but above the skin,this moving line will beginalmost feeling palpable of the practitioner’s art:she, who draws from imaginationand an experienced hearta unique creation. The brown dyeContinue Reading

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Remember that words have power when spunThe way they turn spider silk into tapestriesRemember your enemies laugh themselvesOnto the floor for the same reasons as youRemember the sound of my voice as I rockedEach of you to sleep during the rainstormsIf I cannot see you off to be married doContinue Reading

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In the sandy haze, the pyramids riselike apparitions. There is nothing elsevisible in this land of sand and rockand rubble. They have spent a long time acclimating to the harsh conditions.It’s hot and dry and gets unbearable,but still they patiently impose their presence,having prolonged the inevitable. They challenge us toContinue Reading