Turn my head at every sound, not so much now.
Regret takes refuge in me, not so much now.
Was her hair brown? Her face an autumn evening?
I remember she was me, not so much now.
Heart-shaped envelopes, a book of ghazal,
stuffed with songs and star-lit sleep, not so much now.
From the border, the bullets travel in dust –
leave your wounded memories, not so much now.
One night of full moon, your arm around my waist,
it’s all I wanted to see, not so much now.
On your grave, flowers stoop like old, cold widows.
Light was taxing, rain came free, not so much now.
The wind, Rachna, beats its chest, against the door.
It awaits your scent to leave, not so much now.
****
Inspired by Rowan’s post on Ghazal
A beetle with earrings 
You’re a natural at this! 🙂 The form fits so well with your dream-like imagery. My favorite couplet:
Heart-shaped envelopes, a book of ghazal,
stuffed with songs and star-lit sleep, not so much now.
*blush* Thank you dear! Your comments always put me on cloud nine 🙂
xoxo
I love your second and last stanzas- they anchor and disorient at the same time, setting up that perfect temporal spiral that continues throughout the poem.
Thanks Rowan, your post inspired me! I have written several ghazals in Hindi/Urdu, but first time in English, so thanks again.
I’ll admit to not being much of a poetry lover…but I love this! Very well done! 🙂
I am so glad, Joe! Thank you for stopping by.
I love the not so much now. Perfect!
So glad Stacie! Thank you so much for the love. Liked your ghazal very much too. Yay, we tried!
Rachna, this is so skillfully written. The rhythm is so smooth and seamless, the words touch the heart. This form in less skillful hands can sound so clunky and repetitive. You’re a master!
Oh C, that is one of the loveliest comments! It makes my day and I am so happy that you love this poem and want to share it. Means a lot to me. xoxo
Reblogged this on Zouxzoux and commented:
I love this poem so much I had to share it. Enjoy!
It’s powerful when you address yourself in the last stanza. It made me sit up in my chair, after being lulled by the earlier imagery. Like a door slamming in the middle of a reverie. My favorite? “Her face an autumn evening?”
Nate, thanks so much for reading and writing this lovely comment!
I really liked the haunting beauty of this. Such a quietly powerful piece.
That is what I was going for, glad you said it – haunting it is! Thank you and again, thank you for reading 🙂