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The silk road

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 February 2024

Tarek Zieneldien Open the ORCID record for Tarek Zieneldien [Opens in a new window]
Tarek Zieneldien*
Affiliation:
College of Arts and Sciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
*
Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

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Type
Poetry
Information
Palliative & Supportive Care , Volume 22 , Issue 6 , December 2024 , pp. 2235
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press.

I would have journeyed the Silk Road
From Chang’an to Constantinople
To find a trader with a cure
For the growths in your heart
I would have traded all of my lapis lazuli

I would have slept in Dunhuang’s caravanserais
Dwelling in the fantasia sung by the sand grains
And followed the slowly fading footsteps in my fever dreams
For the hope of a better prognosis

But the disease is too heterogeneous
It’s a shapeshifter eager to spread
Like invasive weeds in fertile verdant lands

So even though I cannot go on that journey
I will hold your hand
And ensure you do not explore these newfound times alone

Competing interests

The author declares no conflicts of interest.