Hi gan, Jim Fowler here again. This month I'm posting a ghazal, an Arabian/Indian form pronounecd 'guzzle' It is a couplet form where each couplet is its own poem on a unifying subject. Traditionally there are a lot of rules to follow. I used the following rules, repeated word or phrase at end of each line two, rhyme in first couplet, a repeated sound in each line 2, all lines about the same length and use an alias of myself in the last couplet. In the old Arabain ghazals, the alias is likely the only name we know fo the poet. The trick to repeating the last word is to find a word you really like. The form allows the poet to be political, surreal, real, hunorous, etc, all in the same poem. Enjoy.

Fighting the Love of Battle

I did a two year tour on an aircraft carrier;
a presidential letter named me warrior.

A boy, lost at the circus, found the sideshow.
In his dreams he becomes the tattooed warrior.

The petal tips of the rose lose their color;
blood seeps from the wounds of the warrior.

The scent of jasmine interrupts my writing.
The maiden has come to greet the warrior.

The cemetery gates are locked from the outside.
What would happen if I freed the warrior?

In right-of-passage, a boy dyes his hand red;
he learns to hate the blue-handed warrior.

The brush on the can of paint, drips white.
The sticky-wall shadow dances the warrior.

Does any one know the names of the constellations?
Does any one still look up and see the warrior?

Your martial side loves you more than you love it,
Squirrel, you must yield and accept the warrior.