Sheikha A.
Zojaj
I tried catching a mirage at forenoon
and realized my timing was off
and slept till after sunrise, sleep
still in my eyes from the night before
I burned in the dark. I had tried
to sharpen my gaze, teach it to cut
like a knife, but all I could see
were white strands on the early head
of dawn as it crowned; the command
of waking nudged the stars behind
the clouds. The moon took a step back,
greeting the glassy-gray sky. I watched
my murmurs fade into transforming sky,
its silver line covering its light in pale
blue, becoming the illusion we chase
through sparkling windows.
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Sheikha A. is from Pakistan and United Arab Emirates. She has been published in over 100 literary venues, both print and online, including several anthologies by different presses. Her work recently appears or is forthcoming in Star*Line Journal, Peacock Journal, Dreams and Nightmares, Poetry Repairs, Scars Publication and elsewhere. More about her can be found at sheikha82.wordpress.com
Editor’s Notes: The author says, “The term Zojaj is an Arabic one that literally means transparent glass. There are several heavy references that go with the term and can be used in various connotations. My poem has used it to talk about the moment between pre-dawn and post-dawn – the few seconds of dark and light and in imagination, thinking the sky might be in duel.” Trying to capture the nuances of this poem demanded something beautiful and abstract or surreal. The photograph of the artwork from Stained Glass Crafts at least captures some of it. See https://www.pinterest.com/pin/624522673301280335/