Poember November
When Words Are True Friends
A ghazal about poems
Ideas ripple through me — imagery — poems My muse sets the beat — musicality — poems
Experiential, euphemistic oft subtle Read between the lines — metaphorically — poems
The antics of semantics, synonym wordplay Limber up my lexicon — vrais amis* — poems
Push and pull, twists and turns, beginnings and endings Life brought into focus — reality — poems
Affairs of the heart, the angst of the forsaken Breathe love into being — passionately — poems
Soar above eagles, the bite of mighty lions Triumphant surrender — epiphany — poems
Potpourri infusion, sweet intoxication Gaia-gifted rainbows — aesthetically — poems
Look beyond the heavens, the cosmos awaits us Manifested in magic — mystery — poems
Carolyn, come with us, we’ll find you your calling We speak into lost souls — humanity — poems
© Carolyn Hastings 2022
*vrais amis — French for ‘true friends’ — pronounced: vraze ay-mee
I’ll admit this poem is entirely experimental. In fact, I was seriously thinking of using ‘experimental’ in line 3 but opted for the more expansive ‘experiential’. Poetry, after all, is an experience.
What I’ve written is my first — maybe only — attempt at a ghazal (pronounced: guh-zahl with the emphasis on the second syllable).
Ghazal Poetry
Ghazal poetry has its origins in Arabia and was popularised by the famous Persian poet, Rumi. Since then, Urdu musicians across central and southern Asia have adapted the form into songs. Its migration to English language began in the 1960s but has been relatively slow to catch on.
What is an English language ghazal?
In English, the ghazal has a number of rules which poets, being poets, may or may not follow. Here is an outline of the rules that govern writing (and identifying) a ghazal —
- the poem is arranged in couplets, typically an odd number with five couplets as the minimum and 15 as the maximum — mine is nine
- each couplet is a complete poetic unit of its own
- as well as being linked thematically, the couplets have a similar structure which includes an internal rhyme and a refrain as follows – :: each couplet ends with the refrain (or radif) which may be a single word or a short phrase of two or three words. I’ve used ‘poems’ as my refrain :: the rhyming word (or qafia) precedes the refrain in each couplet. I’ve used words ending in long ‘ee’ for my rhyme :: the first couplet (or malta) has the rhyming word and refrain in both lines. For mine, it’s ‘imagery — poems’ and ‘musicality — poems’
- the final couplet includes the poet’s name or makes reference to the poet in some way
- line length should be consistent throughout — each line in my ghazal is 12 syllables
- meter is not a requirement
- traditionally, ghazals are about love, longing and loss. I’ve gone off on a tangent with mine — I said it was experimental! I like to think mine is a creative reflection on how I view the virtues of poetry, so in that sense, it’s like a love affair, right? 😉
There aren’t many ghazals here in Medium and the ones that are here don’t necessarily comply with the rules. I was about to give up when I came across Barry Dawson Jr. IV’s fine example of a ‘rule-abiding’ ghazal, The Silence —
And here’s another one, Gift Her, by Joe Barca that is also well worth reading —
Poember November
I’ve written the ghazal with Paper Poetry’s Poember November month-long prompt in mind. The prompt is in its final days but there’s still time to join in — all you need is a rhyme. The prompt details are here –
I’m not the only one to have gone ‘experimental’ and tried out some lesser-known forms of rhyming poetry for Poember November. Megan Nicole Morgan primed her rhyme with a clever kyrielle, We Are Here to Answer Your Call —
A Welsh clogyrnach (pronounced: clog-ir-nark) sparked William J Spirdione’s rhyme fuse in, A Moon Lit Forest Feeling Mightily Magnetic —
Selma buttoned a ha’sonnet (meaning half-sonnet) to her rhyme bonnet with, Reds Are Sweet Whites Are Sour Get a Front Seat in the Power Hour —
As always, thank you, true friends, for reading. 🙏 💕
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