In Xaafuun, the Wisdom

​In Xaafuun, the wisdom
Of the incense maker
Did not contradict
The wisdom of the baker.

The righteousness of one
Camel driver did not 
Interfere with the virtues
Of his brother. What 

Beauty lay across the peach
Desert did not conceal
The beauty of the sea,
The courtyard where the camels kneel.

The true, the genuine
Tortoiseshell did not compete
With the ivory, the spices
Bought by travelers from Crete.

Yet they all are in confusion,
The merchants of exotic hides,
The sellers of cloves,
The fathers of fresh brides,

Because of their scintillating
Skin, their competing claims,
Cumin, ginger, nutmeg,
And pepper, bright as flames.