Ghazal on Isolation
“…continue the shine in vivid isolation…” Agha Shahid Ali
another dawn tugs on my skin
begging me awake in birdsong
my cold shoulder longs
for the tongue of yesterday’s chorus –
the extended version of a ballad I didn’t know could end
ghostly alive in such vivid isolation my mind is a silk slip on a fraying clothesline
& the light throws wind like weighted
answers to questions I’m too cowardly to ask
how much longer can I go without our swelling bodies pressed against a hotel window?
this duel with Alone – when will it cease tuck its pistol in the deutzia & surrender our
touches?
Inspired by my friend and poet Margo Wheaton (with whom I am sharing a virtual book tour event on May 20th!) who writes ghazal poems, I took a stab at writing one this morning. I cheated a bit by adding a lonesome word on an extra line…
Here’s a definition of ghazal.
If you’d like to join Margo & I as we discuss our new books and the choices we made when writing our poems, please register for our Zoom webinar on May 20th!
When: May 20, 2021 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Topic: Thimbles: Poetry and the Family
Register in advance for this webinar:https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_0jwxSVYiRK-rOoIfNo_6ww
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
HOWLIN’ w/ Valentino!
Last night, I zoomed it up with host of CIUT’s 89.5FM Howl Radio show, Valentino Assenza – a weekly show dedicated to bringing writers together in lively, important conversation.
We had an incredible conversation about poetry, our Nonna’s, Italy…and I’m pretty sure we committed to a organizing a tour Canadian-Italian poets in Italy! Bravo!
Our conversation will air on Tuesday, May 11, 2021 from 10pm – 11pm as part of the CIUT week of fundraising! Do tune in! Grazie, Valentino!
VANESSA SHIELDS, writer 
Wow Vanessa, This is a keeper!
Sent from my iPad
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love this one Vanessa… just love it…especially the slip!
On Thu, 6 May 2021 at 09:25, VANESSA SHIELDS, writer wrote:
> Vanessa Shields posted: ” Ghazal on Isolation“…continue the shine in vivid > isolation…” Agha Shahid Ali another dawn tugs on my skinbegging me awake in > birdsong my cold shoulder longsfor the tongue of yesterday’s chorus – the > extended version of a ballad I didn’t know cou” >
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