Khalid Mukhtar

Word, like wind, cuts through you / Withers all but true you

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Ekphrasis of a Vase of Carnations

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Oil Painting by Azeem Chida
Vase of Carnations, oils on canvas by A. Chida

You carnations in foster care
Sit splendid in a dwelling where
Your newfound sibling baby breaths
Come forth to decorate your hair;

Like golden pheasants flocking free
Beneath a mercy cherry tree,
Whose fruit descend the leafy steps
In schools of seahorse company.

But for the pheasants fallen dead,
I’d call these creatures heaven-bred,
For how these walls of glass reflect
The heads of children tucked in bed.

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