LOVE GATHERS ALL:
A Philippine-Singaporean Anthology
of Poetry

Ghazal of Love
by Alfian Bin Sa'at

Inside this body another one is leaning.
Inside these eyes another pair is gazing.

A universe simpler than the design of a seed.
One star rules its galaxy, in its sky only one constant bird.

How often the flowers mocked him with their petals.
O foolish collector of glances and whispers!

Only in my dreams does his feet touch the ground.
When I smile for no reason, it is he who etches the dimples.

Always by the window or with a cheek on a pillow.
When a breeze passes through the body his soul is transparent.

What will you do, Alfian, when he opens the door?
When he surrenders the key into the hands of the beloved?

© Alfian Bin Sa'at

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