Nabati

Ramadan lantern, Egypt.

 After Sulaiman Bin Shraim

Pity yourself, son
If time treats you as it has me
Like a lantern, lit at dusk
Then snuffed and put away at dawn.
You cannot trust your uncle or your brother.
Or your father.

-- Stephen K. Roney



(Nabati is a traditional folk form of poetry from the Arabian Gulf.)