tell me
for I want to hear it all
though I doubt
there are words enough
to tell it all
what did you feel
when you
saw mile-long wavy blankets
of sand
with yard-long shadows
of self
when you
sat atop the ships of the desert
with their long nonchalant strides
and droopy eyelids
when you
stood on a dune
with a gust of a desert wind
locked in your hair
when you
gazed at an intricate carpet
(which must have taken years in the making) -
a mute audience to the gossip of its makers
while they wove magic with their dexterous fingers
when you
spotted a lone tree, a stubborn shrub
holding fort
valiantly and persistently
against the tenacious desert storms
when you
chased the sun
blazing down, one hour;
and racing to seek the desert blanket,
the other -
inspired by your footprints
scattered
across the dunes
when you
came across
kind strangers in colorful robes
strange kindred souls taken in
by snakes and monkeys
pretty women with bashful looks
restless men with wistful demeanor
tell me
for I want to hear it all
of the places where you stood and smiled
and the moments of beauty that made you sob
of the times you felt like conquerors of eternity
and the times when you surrendered,
conquered by the magnificence
tell me
when you find time.
but do tell me,
my storytellers in Morocco
---
An ode to the lovely couple who are chasing the sun