Kasbah

 I stand before the painting
An Arabist’s view of the past
A wide sweep of memory fading
Of a time never meant to last.

The burning desert sun flairs
Blasting heat on the scene below
The merchants spreading wares
Of foods and crafts row on row.

People dressed in long white robes
Birds on the wing above
Tidbits cooked on primitive stoves
The ancient bazaar yet aglow.

From the very time of Pharaohs
To the Egypt of this day
Artists have drawn their sorrows
Reflecting time’s inexorably fray.

The timeless crumbling buildings
As beautiful right now
As their builders’ visualizings
A façade of time in tow.