1. I spent a night with the beauty of Banu al-Bajali
Between her gown and her shift, clinging

2. To a darling folded on her bed
As folded as a wrap or a belt

3. When she gets up, she climbs a sandhill
Baring teeth that have known no cleaning

4. And when she comes, she comes dragging her train
Like a water serpent climbing a dune

5. Soothsayers and sorcerers and prestidigitators lied
When they said no fidelity in one unable to gain mastery