Photo by Parker Hilton on Unsplash

I ride a Bengal tiger

striding across the Saharan sands,

my faithful entourage flank me

to both the right and the left.

sentries guard my tent

in the chill of the desert night

while I record the day’s transactions —

twelve bolts of silk,

eighty tins of spices, a multitude

of rare birds, poisonous snakes,

gold, salt & ivory —

preserving the glories

of our pilgrimage

in a leather-bound journal,

every page rimmed

in gold leaf,

every word, homage

to our wide-eyed wanderings.