Malikat Agha writes to her son, Iskandar

Astrologers are harlots, 

paid to please.

Fairground fakirs,

one eye on the heavens 

the other in their pockets, 

a third watching, seeking 

clues from their patron. 

Beware, my son. 

I am not the favourite wife

You are not the favoured son.

My horoscope told I would outlive 

three sons. The greatest, 

a comet, soaring in beauty

through the desert’s blue black sky 

to astonish all who saw his rise.

Great beauty, great power,

but oh the fall, to sudden 

total darkness.

A son blinded by his brother, cast out,

rising in despair to final execution.

Beware my son. Hear me.

This horoscope will

outlive us all.

Image licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license from the Wellcome Foundation