I’d heard of the King of Wisdom & told Hoopoe Bird: “Why not?”
when I received the invitation. I ordered servants to follow with gold
and spices, flew into the night, soared over mountains–a fateful
trip among the stars to reach Yerushalayim, its famed temples.
An immense castle; floors shimmered like rivers in moonlight.
I lifted my gown, bared my legs, my long toes reaching. Solomon smiled
with full lips when he saw hair on my feet, asked if I was part Jinn,
a blend of human & fiery delights. He heard rumors that my mother
married a Jinn. I didn’t answer. This is private, I thought,
why should I share my secrets?
He asked if I worshiped the sun; everybody knows Sun is life.
I pitied Solomon, just a human, though he said he understood birds
& ants. I stayed for many days & nights, asked him to solve riddles.
He passed my tests, then dived between my legs. He was good & strong;
no wonder he had a thousand wives. I felt our love child developing.
Later, I returned to my kingdom. Love can only take you so far.
Art: Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, Tintoretto, 1545.
