A New Anthology of Ghazals in English

Nur Melange: a Ghazal Anthology is a joint project of South Asia Institute and Glass Lyre Press. The collection was edited by Glass Lyre’s publisher Ami Kaye.

Here’s a short definition of the ghazal form. A ghazal is a poetic form that originated in Arabic and is often used to express romantic or spiritual love. To the Sufis, spiritual love can hide in the guise of a romantic utterance, but is really a love song to God. Originating as rhyming couplets from centuries ago, ghazals now take on various forms with exuberance. Ghazals in English are a poetic form newly embraced by a variety of poets.

South Asia Institute describes the anthology as: “ghazals written in English by some of the most compelling poets writing today as they represent a dazzling array of aesthetic sensibilities and themes. From climate change to current conflicts around the world, these poets tackle various topics with passion and sensitivity, demonstrating the possibilities of the ghazal form. The ghazals in Nur Melange explore the complexities of the human condition and offer profound insights for the reader. With Nusra Qureshi’s stunning artwork on the cover, this book of evocative ghazals is a must-have for poetry lovers everywhere.”

I’m thrilled to have three of my ghazals included! To order a copy of this beautiful book, go to Amazon’s page. Or order directly from Glass Lyre Press.

Everyone Wants the Earth
A Ghazal
by Rachel Dacus

The packed tissue-box of a peony explodes.
The sun’s flames arrive on petals of time.

Spring irises and volcanoes: earth’s fire reawakening.
Like the human race, planets flower slowly in time.

Everyone wants to tell the earth it must be saved.
No one wants to hear the planet thinking time.

Flattened by the world’s sheer size, we run faster.
We’d rather be dwarfed by space than time.

Tornadoes and quakes can’t shake our hold,
but we slip into evolution. We can’t feel its time.

Earth feeds and eats us. What we understand between
is nurtured on an invisible food: time.

Earth soothes our painful unfolding with its cycles.
Walking in circles, we breathe in time

With the beauty we have been busy fleeing.
Oh, Rachel, catch up. Stop. Only let time.