GHAZAL FOR A CHAMBERMAID

by Judith Terzi


"Whatever the outcome of the proceedings against Strauss-Kahn, this high-profile case has brought the subject of sexual assault into the realm of public discussion . . . " --Los Angeles Times, June 7, 2011


Who is this woman confined between two fires?
She's taboo. An invisible line between two fires.

Prison of refuge, a parable for developing places.
Stripper man loans assigned between two fires.

G8 in Deauville, empty apartment 4G in the Bronx.
Will she accept payment or decline between two fires?

Dazed village, triste cattle & goats in Fouta Djallon.
Griots clutch koras, chant headlines between two fires.

Rain & three rivers carve canyons, valleys into sandstone.
"Rock of Vultures"--Petteh Djiga. Sign between two fires?

The faux prince is grim, grime, bottom of the pond.
Princess: Your Fulani name sublime between two fires.


Sharing Tabouli (Finishing Line, 2011) is Judith Terzi's latest chapbook. Her poems have been nominated for the Best of the Web and Best of the Net anthologies and have appeared widely in print and online. She lives in Southern California where she taught high school French for 25 years.
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