"The Parable of the Pearl" by Rajiv Mohabir
The Parable of the Pearl
Can he lift you up to the Pleiades or take you to Orcus. He will take off his jockstrap. S’il n'y a pas de hors-texte, alors come inside. Let the dead gods wrapped in your fishing net, limp and torn, bury themselves. This is not a story of treasure hidden in a field or of drag- nets. Here a lush world of overripened mangos electrify your throat. No savior supreme in your love, only the urge of man on man, so seek your goodly pearls of great price. You know you need your tongue to drip. Take this one too with salt and chili. The crunch and tart punch, the quick flooding your mouth.
Audio: Rajiv Mohabir reads “The Parable of the Pearl”
Poet, memoirist, and translator, Rajiv Mohabir is the author of five books of poetry, the latest is Seabeast (Four Way Books 2025). Currently he teaches poetry at the University of Colorado Boulder. Find him at www.rajivmohabir.com.