Waiting for the Twelfth
By Kaveh Akbar
In Shia Islam, the Twelfth Imam is said to have disappeared in the ninth century. It’s believed his return at the end of the world will deliver order from the chaos.
no one ever brings up the wages
of virtue the cost of avoiding
that which you were built
to do some men actually love
their enemies remind me to tell you
about them when you arrive and
when will that be again? I’ve already
spiced the duck and hidden
the sherry even grain has
genes that say drink this or bend
there so much like our
own I am rubbing yogurt
through my hair getting ready
for your return I read old
mail from my bababazorg
the Farsi like tea leaves
or exotic blades years
ago he melted into the tautness
of earth like a pad of butter on
turtle meat the birch
curled its tongue I was full of
credible fears today I’m full
of olives and smoke sucking
a fat red cigar and ashing on
the good lace I’m comfy
as a snake sleeping in
a silk shoe though my glasses
are foggy or maybe I just got
perfume in my eye either
way I’ll recognize you
by your heartbeat you’ll
recognize me by the green
bird in my shirt pocket if you
hurry I’ll let you hold
her her flightlessness
will mean nothing in fact
my whole house has been
cleansed entirely of
symbols a strange
call came from the west
and I understood it in
this new language I burnt
away my candles and woke the
sleeping spider resting his fangs
against my hand there will be
nothing here to distract you
from your work just
some old pears
browning in the kitchen
and a glass vase
of pink roses
humming their little songs
Source: Poetry (September 2017)