Stay, stay for one more
in this small corner
round off the afternoon where
the chatter of the Blind Beggar
and the call to prayer
make song around the optics
where gossip is measured
where a stranger smiles
and the locals stare.
Find a place or lose yourself
outside in the hours that needle
between the minarets and spires
the shadow of the object
is the same length
as the object itself
and it points East.
Where lovers meet thieves
where imam meets priest
in closed church, in free ministry
with two fists and an apple
in gas-lit Whitechapel
bare knuckled or veiled
on loan or on bail
some do good, some do well
some get fleeced.
Stay, stay close
in this small corner
take off your shoes
raise a glass, make an offer
I can no longer refuse.
JAN NOBLE 