Is Any Throat Worth A Million Bucks Poem by Alexandre Nodopaka

The ad reads Qatar offers million-dollar award
for Arabic translators. Having lived in Morocco
for a number of culturally enhancing years.

I'd love to be their translator. I already can see
myself looking down on the world from a space
needle penthouse.

But do I really have to learn Arabic?
Maybe I should! For a bonus they might give me
a flying carpet and I could establish a world record

gliding down into my own 1001 nights of
belly dancing and finally meet Lawrence of Arabia
and read shoulder to shoulder, Boccaccio.

And wow! I would read Rumi in his mother tongue.
But instead what if I spoke in tongues, which
I usually do after a couple of Vodkas.

My only worry is ISIS!

For a reason my throat tickles. Oh no! They would
slit my throat for drinking anything but mint tea.
I couldn't even sing Mohammed's praises or Allah's

ninety-nine names!
Is my gorge worth a million $?
I better not apply.