Two Ghazals in English by Suhit Bombaywala

1

I drank the city and fell silent.
As the stupor left me, I became a poet.

A knife in bloom is a harmless evil.
A blade of grass can maim a poet.

Scrivener, take refuge in your wounds.
Moon-junkie: what else to name a poet?

Keep in escrow the proceeds of sorrow.
Who’s not seduced by fame? A poet.

Make the crystal shape itself, Suhit.
Be water-pure as a gem, a poet.

—

2

Your ex’s selfie inflames your fantasies
You think you’re screwed, because it is so lovely

So fiery a craving so unaware of itself
You think it good because it is so lovely

You see purple following the umpteenth drink
For the flirting is crude, and yet so lovely

You feel stupor is the climax and still, and still
You stay awake as you should, because it is so lovely

You’ve become a side actor in your life story
Yet you dare not intrude, because it is so lovely

Masks cover masks in the time of contagion
You dare not be in the nude, because it is so lovely

What perverse joy in denying pleasure, Suhit?
You reject sainthood because it is so lovely

*

Image: Rafi Haque

poet’s photo: Priyesha Nair