Ode to Shawarma

Cayenne,

Nutmeg,

Cinnamon,

Clove,

Cardamom,

Turmeric,

And allspice,

Rendezvous

In a rotisserie -

To roast in a realm

Fraught with factions.

Syrians and Jordanians confront one another

As they collectively

Re-create esculent essences of the Ottoman Empire -

Showcasing thinly sliced

Slices of meat

Stacked on skewers;

Bodies speared through the core of

Cross-country culture.

Added animal fat

Filters from middle eastern mouths

At Amman Citadel.

Aquamarine eyes

Echo out across ancient ruins,

Whilst oil-infused fingers lift weightlessly

To feed foreigners

Seduced by salt-

Coated in layers of halloumi cheese.

Lips glisten in the desert breeze;

The breath of Petra.

A petrified

Site of ambiguous,

Ancestral dementia;

Malleable minds

Shaped over time

In the desert’s permanent

Impermanence,

Where sage tea is sipped

Beneath Bedouin tents

Submerged in the silent scents

That sing

Within

The Wadi Rum.