Smiling in the Frankincense

By Michael Chant

I recline in her favorite chair
The room is full of incense burning
I seek solace in her music
In a mournful gypsy's wail:

"Whyeee-aye-eee-yah, whyee-yah, aye-yah.
Whyeee-aye-eee-yah, why-yah, aye-yah..."

I finish the last of the wine
The smoke expands like roses blooming
Grooving to the sitar twang
Like a breeze through spider webs

"Mah-ha-aye-eee-yah, my-eee-yah, my-ah.
Mah-ha-aye-eee-yah, my-ah, my-ah..."

The gray spirals become hypnotic
Abandoning their randomness
I see our fallen belly dancer
Smiling in the frankincense

"Aye-eee-yahm-ere, aye-yahm, aye-yahm-ah.
Aye-eee-yahm-ere, aye-yahm-ere..."

She is enrapt in her music
Shaking to sistrum percussion
Oceans in my eyes unblinking
Breach the beach of my grinning face

"Mah-ha-aye-eee-yah, my-eee-yah, my-ah.
Mah-ha-aye-eee-yah, my-ah, my-ah..."

The song breaks and the gypsy shrieks
She sees what she is made of
The visit dance becomes avenging
For it was smoke that had claimed her

"Whyeee-aye-eee-yah, whyee-yah, aye-yah.
Whyeee-aye-eee-yah, why-yah, aye-yah..."

Spinning, twirling, and unfurling
The mermaid makes the hurricane
Storm clouds rip apart in her wind
She fights as hard as she once did

"Mah-ha-aye-eee-yah, my-eee-yah, my-ah.
Mah-ha-aye-eee-yah, my-ah, my-ah..."

Just before she dissipates
There's a feather soft kiss on my forehead
Then a chuckle unforgettable
The visit is over, but she never leaves

"By-eee-aye-eee-yah, by-eee-yah, aye-yah.
By-eee-aye-eee-yah, by-yah, by-awl..."

* For my mother, Dale Verfaillie Chant (1953-2000), a powerful influence, a talented lawyer and a spirited bellydancer.