shot glass
title
"... brevity is the soul of wit ..."
- William Shakespeare

Bio


Brandon Marlon is a writer from Ottawa, Canada. He received his B.A. (Hon.) in Drama and English from the University of Toronto and his M.A. in English from the University of Victoria. His poetry has been published variously in Canada, the U.S., England, Greece, Romania, Israel, and India. www.brandonmarlon.com.


Brandon Marlon


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Qiyan[1]

Singing girls bat eyelashes my way
and just as I would have it, too;
with kohl-rimmed features they wangle
coins and compliments from evening gentlemen
ogling pendent breasts and spilling
black coffee on their dishdashas.

Though those pigmented eyes nightly cozen
gullible dupes caked in drool,
regulars and strangers alike,
I bite my tongue as the sweet-voiced trill,
for fear of thwarting the course of true love.

[1] Arabic: Singing slave girls