At the Rahba Souk

I buy some hair of two women, quarter-kilo
fasoukh, some honey, a lizard—if a flock
of partridges
fly into a short row of palms, “better
handful your dates, monsieur”—drunk
two cups
coffee and smoked, while a man
climbed onto a bench and blew his horn—not
enough
I believe has ever been studied about the way
animals imitate other animals—
the way
a donkey that has been braying, finally makes
gurgling noises.

Doog T. Wood is a poet, educator, and translator. He is the co-founder of the literary translation project Kaffeehouse and author of Old Men Forget (Seven Towers). Since 2003, he has split time between Ireland, Morocco, America, and Italy.

Poet’s Recommendations:

The Gentle Art of Rotting by Ross Hattaway.

Without Saying by Richard Howard.

Song from the Uproar by Missy Mazzoli.

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Homepage photo via “Flickr”:http://www.flickr.com/photos/mortalcoil/2195543987/