the orientalist
The dust from the bread riots settle
The harlet remembers the words
Her mother used to sing to her
All she left were the birds
On the bridge the passage is littered
With the din of a broken man
Every struggling breath he takes
Will never break his so n from the cellar
The bachelor kneels in malice
In the jailhouse for the day
When his blood can flow again they say
My friend, you’re waiting in vain
Then the maid strips by the window
In the darkness she cries
The only sound you’ll hear from her
Save the flutter of her eyes
The rain will wash away whatever may remain
Away, away for better days
The sunsets are for gamblers
with bullets and shots
But the bartender is dry of all his spirits
For the laughter they sought
The ashtrays clean by the counter
And the stellas stocked till day
The daughter plays her set at freedom
For piasters a pay
Please see to the agile tenant
He’s only pretending to drown
The devil drenched in divination
Shackled and leatherbound
On the steeple they’ve nailed conviction
Under blankets she will lie
they carved a warning on her back
and a rose on her ankle they tied
The rain will wash away whatever may remain
Away, away for better days
