Matthew 19: 20 Poem by robert dickerson

Heaving and groaning
bleating and sweating
humps awry, mahbol in disarray,
with a final squeeze and a fart
from the needles' eye
the camel plops, stops,
shakes himself off-
dashes from his toe
the sparkling sliver,
embarrassed, almost,
to have traversed so mean a cell
sniffs, listens, looks,
with each foot raptaps the
antipodal earth
and learning it firm
soldiers on
shyly, coyly, first
then gladly, proudly,
head borne high
snorting and blowing
down the narrow street of shopkeeps,
past the lamp sellers
past the carpet sellers
past the knife sharpeners,
hawkers of dates
oranges and pomegranites
kumquats and olives
cinnamons and saffron
silkens and muslins
coppers and bronzes
raki, tabachi
attars and gums
almonds and doves...

toward the open road.