No longer can I sleep, I need her skin,
To bury my sins deep, I need her skin.
I turn the earth with hungry tooth and claw,
I feed until I weep. I need her skin.
Her blood gathers, pools into blue bruises,
Like me, seeking surface. I need her skin.
She opens to me, asks the tiger in,
So stealthily I creep, I need her skin.
She turns feline eyes upon me, now I’m
The sacrificial sheep. I need her skin.
We circle one another quietly,
Our path unmarked, and steep. I need her skin.
We count small deaths, so dangerously sweet,
Dark promises we keep. I need her skin.
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This poem is my entry for the dVerse Poets Pub challenge to write a ghazal or a ghazal sonnet. Ghazal is an Arabic form from the sixth century. It has numerous onerous structural rules, including the inclusion of the poet’s name or alias as a signature in the last stanza. Read all about it, and link to the other entries here:
February 1st, 2013 at 6:37 am
well now…a ghazal with a bite…smiles…and quite sensual as well..particularly that last stanza for me…the counting of small deaths, nice word play that….
February 1st, 2013 at 7:23 am
This is engagingly brilliant, haunting with its disquieting “I need her skin”. A tour de force – bookmark-worthy!
February 1st, 2013 at 8:18 am
Great with the feline metaphor..i actually thought of two lions..excellent ghazal..
February 1st, 2013 at 8:18 am
powerful and hungry poem =)
February 1st, 2013 at 10:07 am
THis brought a surprising range of emotions out in me. At first I found the refrain disturbing, but as the poem develops it became clear that his need was mirrored by hers. I particularly enjoyed the way you included yourself in the last couplet, so subtle I had to look more than once to spot it
February 1st, 2013 at 3:32 pm
Very interesting response to such a difficult form – you have breathed new life into the genre, methinks!
February 1st, 2013 at 10:21 pm
Nicely done – you worked with a challenging refrain beautifully – and I love the development of the two lovers through the couplets and how at the same time each couplet stands alone