An Ode to Djinn (A Poem)

By Joyce Jacobo

[Author’s Note: I’ve always thought djinn were fascinating.]

Inscribed in ancient folklore

  exist djinn composed of fire and air

  whose forms shift with practiced ease

      like the moon transforms each month

They are as counterpoints to humanity

   we beings created from earth and water

    physical though sturdy in our lives

        like the sun that the moon reflects

Imprisoned in objects for lack of obedience

     or given freedom based on their faith

     these spirits gifted with free will

       mix worldly desires with divine powers

Certain legends tie our two races together

     in that they say for every human being

     somewhere abroad wanders a djinn

     with whom they share an intricate bond

        in the same way as guardian angels

They still appear in our narratives

     and assume a wide variety of shapes

     those mysterious entities

         known as the djinn

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