S. J. Thomas
In The Souk
Caught up in that maelstrom
of bargaining, you shrink
all interest in the cross fire
of figures and run away.
Ahmed, who once sold carpets in Leeds,
follows you and so do I.
Your behaviour affronts him
for he can no more fit into
your cultural jigsaw than you his.
Wondering who should placate whom
he offers the obligatory tea
and also the goods - gratis.
But we know a gambit for what it is.
'Perhaps we could exchange wives,'
he says half jokingly, but
with a gaze that skips waywardly
down the curvilinear sweep of your breasts.
'The women of Leeds were beautiful,'
he adds thoughtfully, seeking their
image in the realm of his tea glass.
of bargaining, you shrink
all interest in the cross fire
of figures and run away.
Ahmed, who once sold carpets in Leeds,
follows you and so do I.
Your behaviour affronts him
for he can no more fit into
your cultural jigsaw than you his.
Wondering who should placate whom
he offers the obligatory tea
and also the goods - gratis.
But we know a gambit for what it is.
'Perhaps we could exchange wives,'
he says half jokingly, but
with a gaze that skips waywardly
down the curvilinear sweep of your breasts.
'The women of Leeds were beautiful,'
he adds thoughtfully, seeking their
image in the realm of his tea glass.
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