The Slave

In a byzantine harem

Where, seeking paradise,

Id disguised myself as a dog,

A slave told me:

Me, Id like heavy pearls

Enamelled black pearls

To be dumb, and almost deaf

So that youd soothe me with words

Words which resemble the sea

Words that one sees through

Words of bitterness and love

Tender words, severe words

Me, Id like crowded rooms

Where stretched out naked on all fours

Encircled by dogs and chains

Tasting mysterious liquors

Drinks of life and drinks of death

Cups filled to the brim

I place my moist and eager lips

On the kneeling stools therein

Me Id like a black slave

With the white teeth, strong and cruel

Whod split my shackles wide

And wholl take me to the sky

In the damp languor of evening

Me all white, and he all black

Hed bite my body, sliding

With a serpent slow...attack

Me, Id like to be a young woman

Behind glass and iron bars

As pleasure takes my every breath

Until sleep, until death

Beneath my purple-blue eyelids

You know, I have only one thought

To be a woman, yes, its true

To be a real woman

God.....please...please