Tiny Taj, by David Milley

Taj Mahal, Wade Whimsies (England) c.2020

Tiny Taj

Curry beneath glaze, not the colour of marble,
a one-inch tower gleams. Two short towers,
hexagonal, flank it. Onion spires top them all.
“Wade” is embossed into one end of the base.

Arjumand married Prince Khurram for love.
His second wife, she ruled beside him. She bore
fourteen children. As Mahal, bearing one more,
she died. The bereft Shah built her stony tomb.

You and I have lived together fifty years.
Blessed, foolish, greedy, I long for many more,
to go on forever as we’ve gone on so far.
It cannot be. Even long lives end too soon.

Shah Jahan upraised marble; I have only words.
We build with what we have. We hope it endures.

David Milley

"Tiny Taj" first appeared in Figurines Pulled from Boxes of Tea, a micro-chapbook by the author, published online by Origami Poems Project, 2025.

David Milley's work appears in Neologism Poetry Journal, 3rd Wednesday, Bay Windows, RFD Magazine, and Last Syllable. His collection of verse, Tiller and Shears, is scheduled for publication this autumn by Kelsay Books. David lives in New Jersey with his husband and partner of fifty years, Warren Davy.