Jessica Latham

My Dearest Hafiz

It has been a while since I have visited the friend I’ve grown so fond of, thanks to you. I yearn to get drunk again in his presence. There are hundreds of bottles awaiting me at home, but I sense I am still so far away. My lips are no longer wine stained, as this long trip has tired me. Write soon. Remind me why it is we wake to see the sun.

icy dawn
even the birds sleep –
sabbath

Note: Hafiz was a 14th-century Persian mystic and poet. Among many other names, he often referred to god as The Friend. Reference to drunkenness and wine was not used literally; in this sense, it was imagery used to express soul-connection with the divine.