K is for Knack.... and Khalvati

Khalvati, Mimi (1944- )

Mimi Khalvati is an award-winning British poet of Iranian origin, a unique voice that sings the traditional Eastern forms in the language of her adopted homeland with amazing delicacy.  Knack is an understatement, a pale and insufficient word.  I am only using it because it fits the letter :) The word I really want to use is 'sublime.'

Her poem Ghazal after Hafez is today's prompt for my ghazal. 

Never enough

I have done it over again, but it’s never done enough

any frequency I choose, it’s never often enough

I too thought one fig, or a plain vine will suffice

but I and my tree alone didn’t fill the garden enough.

I wove my dross to gold, I flaked my gold to dust

but whichever way they’re spun, they’re not spun enough

The games played and replayed over and over again

even if I won them all, they were never quite won enough

Like you I assumed that the cup would cure my chill

but it neither warmed me up nor did it stun enough.

I stopped my life for a song, learnt too late that worlds

won’t stand to attention though suns are crimson enough.

I too thought he’s written all the wisdom that there is

but either I couldn’t read or he has not written enough.

Most form poetry, Eastern or Western, have rigid formats and rhyme schemes, specific syllable counts, beats and rhyme schemes to follow if you want to write them. I rarely write in form, but I do like writing in rhyme, I like reading all kinds of poetry. I know some people who feel only form poetry (rhymed poetry) is real poetry, while some others will dismiss rhymed poetry as old-fashioned and restricted and read only contemporary, un-rhymed poetry. Do you like rhymed poetry or do you prefer free verse, or both?  


K is also for Kvetch, a Yiddish loan word accepted now into English, meaning low key whining.  Too much kvetching is bad for one, upsets the digestion and the rhyming nerves both. Too little makes for flat writing without any fizz, I try to maintain an optimum balance :)

Posted for the A-Z Challenge 2015