claim the stage

 
'el arbi' - as recorded live in lugano...
   - i can sing it

and i want to sing it
   on a cold winter night
   in paris...
in the one quarter
   where it would be okay
   for me to sing in arabic

where people would smile at my bravado
where people would drink their drinks in the smoky-near-dark
and nod their heads with weight

   fabric and food...
   colors and sounds...

plump waitresses hustle by
   wafting in their wake
   aromas of things not yet tasted...

i want to claim the stage