Blue Mosque, Istanbul
Unmannerly minarets pierce the sky,
a rude canvas shamed by painted tiles
ornate as the dreams of Ahmet.
Such enormity to dwarf the Koran,
domes cascade amid cupolas,
spheres of ivory flood peace with light;
magnificence greets in the Ottoman style.
Outside, I grow sick with desire,
I see a tiny rosewood icon
fondled by a blind boy
sitting in urine.
--Catherine Schmidt
(Copywrite 2001)
