Ghazal
A thief in the night, I will steal the rose,
Just for one chance to softly feel the rose.
It gently sits, waiting to be taken,
The Lawless One, though, seeks to seal the rose.
Be not afraid of your fragility,
We still stop those who want to peel the rose.
Will you take my hand if the seasons change?
And perhaps maybe let me heal the rose?
This wine tastes sour, did it lose the vintner?
It is before you. It is real, the rose.
Rest within me, for I am within you
As long as you do not conceal the rose.
Do not tarry, do what you know is right.
ReGalli, I will now reveal the rose.
After hearing some of the other poetry from other students, I decided to try another ghazal. The inspiration for this poem was drawn from “Sultana’s Dream.” This poem can be played out as a dream-like sequence, showing the value of this precious “rose”, just as “Sultana’s Dream” expressed the value of women. A thief sneaks in the middle of the night to get a chance to admire the rose. After admiring it for just a minute, he thinks of the forces containing this sacred rose, separating it from the people it belongs to. He holds the rose, reassuring it that it’s condition will be preserved. Even if the weather worsens and it seems that the rose may wilt, he will try to keep the rose pristine. He shows the rose to his friend who abandoned an attempts at enjoying the rose, but rather settled for more earthly pursuits. He then keeps the rose for safe keeping, and assures his friend that he may too experience the rose, as long as he does not keep it from others. He knows that he must show the rose, but tries to give it the regal presentation it deserves.
Here, the rose can be meant to mean a few different things, though. The first, and obvious, is Muhammad. Using this interpretation, we see that the speaker is trying to bring the reader or listener back to a pious lifestyle. We can also see that the reader has this belief that what others think is this pious lifestyle is wrong in his opinion. This was done to reflect the turbulence that is currently affecting the Islamic community and the sense of confusion over what the Prophet, and therefore God, would see as acceptable. A second interpretation could be the listener as a timid or wanted lover. There could be some force keeping them apart, The Lawless One, and the speaker is attempting to circumvent this block for his unfulfilled love.