The Roots of Gazelle
By Rosemarie Dombrowski

It’s almost too guttural, difficult to hear
in non-native ears.

And all this time, I’ve thought of the animal:
swift-footed, slender-necked;
Bovidae of the obscured continents.

The wonder of annulation makes them like trees,
the exchanging of bark for bone.
Somewhere, a detached horn is hanging from a
mantle,
and a woman is crying.

But after examining origins, it’s obvious
that semiotics have failed—
hides turned to hejabs, the clavicle invisible.

The words, after all, are not about animals::

[gha-zal]

repeated, becomes a
coveted symbol of love.

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