Collage by Amira Farooq. Image courtesy of the artist
I
The green wall in the dentist’s office
there in the corner a small table with magazines
the dentist did not speak German
his waiting room was always empty
when the mask, the mask descends upon your face
close your eyes and say that this must be
in the ensuing darkness you find your way
just as at night, groping
along the hallway, large wardrobes watch like soldiers
keeping watch on the evening dark
only the faint light from the bridge outside
illuminates one of the Bactrian camels
II
trudging along the Caravan of Infinity,
the Princess, traded for a Kingdom, sits there calmly
just as you did when the Mask descended
because it is easier to find your way in the dark
for it is the Light that oppresses and blinds
that sears into the soul’s tiny folds
into the Princess as she sits poised
upon the Bactrian camel, and there along
the Corridor of Infinity the light of one star
guides the Caravan to her new home, the kingdom
Unknown, where the Khan awaits
with gifts and servants and many other Queens
III
hard to say which one will be his adviser in battle
which one will sacrifice her life for the realm
the fashion magazines piled up on the table
bouffant hairdos protected by scarves
so much like my mother’s, I mean to say
the other of my mothers, as the first
was a descendant of that hardy race
casting off its own kin while leaving no trace, just
on the forehead painted the Star of David
then the baby placed at the institutional door
the Bactrian camels soon arriving there
carted it off as they had been told
~ Ottilie Mulzet
Ottilie Mulzet translates from Hungarian and Mongolian. She is currently completing a PhD on the subject of Mongolian riddles and proverbs. Her artwork, prose, and photography have appeared in the Prague-based journal Revolver Revue since 2000.
