Phoenix
after Iqbal
Unveil your face
A star is witness
Stop flickering
Blaze
How long will you beg like Moses on the mountain?
Fan the flame within you
Create a new Mecca with every speck of your embers
Rid yourself of idolatry
Observe the limits in this temple
Even if you want to boast
First create the confidence of Alexander
Then lust after the splendor of Darius
***
By Rafiq Kathwari. His new collection of poems, My Mother’s Scribe, is available here and here.