A “Ghazal” is an antique style of poetry which started in India and moved on through the Middle East. It has strong ties to Sufism.

Anyway, someone actually challenged me to write a Ghazal after I wrote a sonnet, which I wrote in response to an “incorrectly” identified haiku, which was itself a parody of a song lyric.

I highly recommend taking a moment of your day to read through the Wikipedia article about the Ghazal. It’s one of those nice little  pieces that illustrate the rules that certain forms require. A ghazal was to focus themes of love, mysticism, unattainable emotion – it’s actually beautiful and incredibly challenging if done correctly.

I was just trying to show off for a stranger on the internet.

Internet Ghazal

A poet’s words unnoticed, lost in thread forever
Buried amid counter-comments instead forever

Stretch out the Internet’s letters round the world
And fill all tongues with dread forever

Muses of the internet, be kind and present
Keep my creativity well-fed forever

Run virtual fingers through Wikipedian pages
So as not to lose my poetic cred forever

I’ll reach for old forms long forgotten
Sub-continentally considered dead forever

Stare at the GreatGreyBeast’s challenge
Let words rush through my head forever

Stand under the coded skies of the virtual world
Where thoughts have all but fled forever

To write, and write, delete and write again
A set of tiny literate wings I’ll spread forever

And though my bones will someday rest interred
Serving as the worm’s bread forever

My soul through words will always reach beyond
My soul through words that will be said forever.

—-

Well done!