Kenneth Koch
REFLECTIONS ON MOROCCO
Essaouira
The concept is a country with out adequate means of loco–
moti on o ther th an the camels' backs. But camel s are not the sole mode
of transpo rta ti on. T he French have been here. Morocco, a land o[
cafe
au
the
and a pl ace of confli ctin g opposites, a sort of Chinatown of the
hubri sti c impul se o f the imagin a ti on of the contingent. T his will no t
give one an idea. I will begin with Essaouira. How Essaouira became
the main subj ect of thi s work whi ch was to have been on educati on and
society in the Red Land , i.e. Marrakesh or Morocco.
Essaouira the real name is Mogado r thank you very much . No the
rea l name is wha t the name is now. T he as toni shing thing about
Essaouira: the medina constructed by a French architect captured by
the Sultan of or numbered I forget whi ch . T he med ina (arab city) is all
stra ight lines. T he g irls' libera l faces there a re shaped like valentines.
Outside, some littl e fame rela ted to soup.
Fish soup. T he project of long days ahead writing
" Essaouira."
Seein g countl ess movi es (a ll bad ) on Morocco to help inspire my
Essaouira. Pretendin g that is a person I love Essaouira. Essaouira
Essaouira it is you . Your name is like li cori ce. I ap precia te Mogador
too. I just prefer Essaouira. Perhaps because that is the name you have
now. And I who have never (never) been thinking of writing a travel
book before. How my persistent impul ses become unraveled!
T he clouds' door opens
&
Essaouira appears. As I remember it, as
it is hearing me now. T hen it vani shes and Essaouira appea rs, a second
one, then it vani shes, then comes a third a fourth a third . Now it is
going backwards. How I love you Essaouira! Don 't compl etely go
away.
I was so hoping but then di sease be carri ed away. No sir they are
all out. And how ni ce to see them, sea urchins, aga in. Writing, it may
be, is wha t you are like, Essaouira, a delin ea ti on and scaramouche of
powers. Clouds of thought and feeling, stretched out. And an arbitrary
mode. And a sharp left will take you to the sea.
