"I'll sing thee songs of Araby," said Silverstein as he departed for that locality, "and tales of fair Kashmir." Or, anyway, he said something to that effect. On foot and on camel, he roamed North Africa, visiting Tangier, Cairo, Rabat and Casablanca, where he swears he saw individuals remarkably like Claude Rains, Paul Henreid, Ingrid Bergman and other old Warner Brothers types lurking behind the mosques and minarets. "But they may have been mirages," he adds; "that desert sun ..." Even though he was not invited to come to the casbah, Shel was enthralled by the land of the Arabs. "And I was pleased to learn that the barbaric practice of buying and selling beautiful young women has been abolished," he scowled.
"Pssst--a word of warning, o bearded one--beware the fatal charms of Fatima, of the flashing eyes, who dances nightly at the Casbah Club, 23 Rue Rakir, continuous shows from 9:30 to 1:30, no cover, no minimum--"
"That's funny--I always wondered how you of the west could carry so many things with your hands."
"You refuse to buy my souvenirs, you refuse to save my wives and children from starvation, you refuse to aid our tottering economy, o foolish one--you drive us into the arms of the Communists!"
"For heaven's sake, cut out the 'Open Sesame' stuff and ring the doorbell!"
"But it is form fitting."
"These are my sisters--Aicha, Zohra and Halima. Halima is the shy one."
"Sure I'll say, 'Alms for the love of Allah,' but not for a lousy 20 francs!"
Arrayed in the fez and galabia of a desert chieftain, Shel glowers from his camel.
"...Or how about a camel alone on the desert saying, 'I'd walk a mile for a Camel.' Get it? Or maybe you can draw a pack of Camels. Get it? A pack of Camels? Ha! Or maybe you can draw a camel trying to squeeze through the eye of a needle. Or how about a camel salesman saying, 'One lump or two?' Get it? 'One lump or two!' Or how about a ..."
Silverstein strolls through a suk, or outdoor market, of Marrakech, alongside the veiled women of an exotic culture.
"I don't know which one is Me!"
