by Afzal Moolla

Ludwig & Vincent…

‘what inspired you to write your 9th?’, Vincent asks Ludwig.

‘madness, dear Vincent, distilled, concentrated madness’.

‘wasn’t it madness that drove you to sketch starry nights above a sea of Irises?’, Ludwig asks Vincent.

‘madness it was, Ludwig. A madness of the soul, restless, frantic, maddening madness’, whispers Vincent.

‘what does that make us, my dear Vincent?’, Ludwig murmurs, leaning close to Vincent.

‘sane’, says Vincent.

‘yes, Vincent, sane’, responds Ludwig.

Vincent reaches up and feels around for his phantom ear,

Ludwig smiles, touching his ear that once could hear.

The Chords of Dissonance…

Tempestuous waves lash the weather-beaten shores of my being,

smashing the cliffs of my futile defences.

I feel the erosion,

within,

gentle, gradual, incessant,

donning my armour,

shielding me,

from the cold, wet waters of fate,

until now.

My armour is pock-marked,

battle-fatigue claws at my throat,

what once was an orchestral crescendo of promise,

now simply aimless jangling chords of dissonance,

beating deep inside my heart,

yet, yet,

I stem the cacophonous onslaught,

surrendering to the inevitability of change,

knowing, knowing,

that from the jagged rocks of memories,

from the frigid waters of destiny,

from the dissonance of infinite chords,

there always is,

as there always shall be,

the promise of a new symphony…

Note:

These two poems by Afzal Moolla are not the first pieces Eastit has published by him. His previous pieces include:

• Three Poems published in the January 2013 issue of Eastlit.
• Four Poems published in Eastlit March 2013.