I have watched the dance of the Sun King
Alluring eyes that peek at you from behind a painted fan
I am the masked, cloaked figure sauntering through
the timeless mists drifting across the Palazzo San Marco

I am star-filled nights,
inhaling the cold air of the Winter Soltice, Yuletide

Though darkness has permeated my sacred space at times
Ne'er did I abandon the romance
The romance that time promises, the hope that I never outgrow

I feel love 

The magic of scent is akin to the embrace of Aphrodite herself, her sweet breath

I am the dance of Shakti, my Lord Shiva
The perfumed air of narrow passageways
1001 nights of slithery pipes echoing in my mind
beautiful, undulating bodies locked in rhythm 

It all seems lifetimes ago, but then it felt like only yesterday
Those drums like heartbeats of eras I can never release,
held captive forever

I share this with you, my dear friends, I am,