that Doodlebug,

hired help to navigate the northern hills

for its hidden ore

and gemstones

could uncover only graves

with artefacts none would ever adorn

rather, it was our bark and hazel leaf

eyes that uncovered the jewel

beneath the rough, beneath the greenery

still, the few almonds we bartered

paid in full

for the hackneyed charisma that

only a Doodlebug

can offer

soon then we found ourselves

in the crosshairs of crossroads, and

in the grip of a foreign land

but who could worry now

under Hyperion’s providence? and

who could trouble when

we followed East

His Sun, toward Mecca,

where its divine offerings

absolved us of all

our doubt