To Mystic Poem by Showkat Ahmad Wani

Thy sin it is to deck the feast of fire,
For thou a sail upon the stormy sea,
A desert lamp that flickers lone and dim.

The heat of breath departs thy hollow soul,
Nor can the cup of mirth be thine to taste.

That sacred point, which veils the spirit's rage,
Is torn apart from rose, from pen and verse.

Seek not from them a heart both pure and sweet,
Whose every verse is reason's fiendish pride.

Yet high thy throne in beggar's rags concealed,
For thou a sail upon the stormy sea,
A desert lamp that flickers lone and dim.
(2004)