By Mory Keita
They call me the idle man, the pest, a nuisance to society.
They claim that I spend my days insolently daydreaming,
Because I read tales of man neither my forefathers nor I had seen.
I do not disclaim their sordid claims, for indeed I am a daydreamer.
I have seen far beyond the bounds of common men's thoughts in dreams.
For many a day, I have plucked and pocked my nose in this bathtub,
Visited and slept in golden palaces where I met many fair maidens,
And drunk drinks of fierce battle and lived my youth once more.
In my dreams, I fought alongside intrepid Jason against evil enchanters.
We parted in quest of the Golden Fleece to obtain his rightful throne.
I branded my golden shield like Achilles roaring like the Nemean lion.
After that battle, Ares himself hailed my bravery and troops sang my name.
I also visited Caesar’s palace in Rome and sat at his dinner table.
we discussed issues pertaining to the good of the republic.
then, i was given command of legions of centurions to fight barbarians.
but such a task was too barbarous for my civility.
and then, I flew on a carpet to India and sat atop the Taj Mahal,
listening to the enchanting call to prayer of the Muslims.
It was there that I was taken to a fairy land with enchanting beings.
There I rescued damsels in distress from witches and evil doers.
As I retired from my noble quest, I was taken into the land of the pharaohs.
I felt in love with Cleopatra, fought with mark Antoine and Caesar and reigned.
In short i have lived and traveled across the Milky Way in a hot bathtub,
and I have lived my life to the fullest like the great Ulysses.
Tales of an idle man-- a poem
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