You wear leather
As dark as your heart
You speak words
As sharp as a knife

You smell of cigarettes
And sometimes cologne
You wreak of Jack Daniel's
But mostly depravity

You lurk in the shadows
And prey on the young
You desire a girl
But only one night

You tell her your lies
To trick her to stay
And then like a coward
You run away

In her arms
it felt so right
she was a warrior
just like me
she was my book
I could read for eternity

Every battle we conquered
with olive trees, melons
gardens of wild flowers
that blew free in the wind
kept warm with the keffiyeh
a bottle of Bekaa wine
we dreamed
of a land
where all children
play with laughter
live with love and no fear

This language

Already archaic

Sits ageing on

The page-

A youth-like this
Once was-

Stares vacant
Into space