Red Brocade
The Arabs used to say,
When a stranger appears at your door,
feed him for three days
before asking who he is,
where he’s come from,
where he’s headed.
That way, he’ll have strength
enough to answer.
Or, by then you’ll be
such good friends
you don’t care.
Let’s go back to that.
Rice? Pine nuts?
Here, take the red brocade pillow.
My child will serve water
to your horse.
No, I was not busy when you came!
I was not preparing to be busy.
That’s the armor everyone put on
to pretend they had a purpose
in the world.
I refuse to be claimed.
Your plate is waiting.
We will snip fresh mint
into your tea.
— Naomi Shihab Nye
1 response so far ↓
1 Liz Sherbow // Mar 27, 2009 at 1:03 pm
At first this seemed so far removed from reality. I and my husband keep our doors locked at all times at home. I lock my car no matter how short the interval that I’m leaving it.
What began to sink in so beautifully was the “No, I was not busy when you came!
I was not preparing to be busy.
That’s the armor everyone put on
to pretend they had a purpose
in the world.
I refuse to be claimed.”
So far from my present reality and I become aware it’s absence. I wonder …
Liz
Leave a Comment