KNOT Magazine
Fall Issue 2022
Steffen Horstmann, Ghazals
In Nantucket
Dunes expel mist as the surf surges in Nantucket,
Where the whale road & salt tract merges in Nantucket.
Shrikes huddle on a jetty, pike swarm in clouds
Of kelp where the riptide surges in Nantucket.
The gusts whistle in stretches of thistles
& shoals along rutted verges in Nantucket.
Crisp winds disperse seeds of oats amid reeds.
Swells converge in tidal surges in Nantucket.
Minnows form bands of silver light in runnels
As a funnel of mist surges in Nantucket.
The peals of church bells echo past foaming
Swells & sandy verges in Nantucket.
Salt bleaches broken fields, thick sheets
Of sand surge on verges in Nantucket.
Gales rant in echoing coves & mudflats
When sibyls chant dirges in Nantucket.
White light glistens within the rain there
White light glistens within the rain there.
Poppies burst from the grave of Cain there.
Fire shimmers in the eyes of demons
That rove a stony terrain there.
Sages that sought miracles
Now only speak of pain there.
The glowing dust is still uneasy
On the hurried graves of the slain there.
The voices of prophets echo from caves
As sand storms begin to wane there.
Though beckoned by voices from clouds,
Angels have chosen to remain there.
The raving wind hurtles
Through the dark like a train there.
Steffen Horstmann´s poems and book reviews have appeared in publications throughout the world, including in: Baltimore Review,Free State Review, Istanbul Literary Review, Life and Legends, Muse India,Texas Poetry Journal, and Tiferet. Horstmann´s book of ghazals Jalsaghar will be published next year by Kariboux; and he has recently completed a second collection of ghazals, Ujjain.
The Khanzi Tombs
Sand whirls in winds that rant at the Khanzi tombs,
Echoing sutras tulkus chant at the Khanzi tombs.
Daemons recite scriptures to the dark, & whisper
Of holy vows sibyls recant at the Khanzi tombs.
Djinns yelp in shadows, waving torches to incite
Starving jackals that pant at the Khanzi tombs.
The green phoenix once rose from a fuming pyre
Where ancient minarets slant at the Khanzi tombs.
Rubies adorn crypts from where spectres listen
To prayers bodhisattvas chant at the Khanzi tombs.
Sparks swirl in smoke that flows through gusts
Stifling a shaman's rant at the Khanzi tombs.
As Vega's phosphorescent core collapses
As Vega's phosphorescent core collapses,
Andromeda's starlit corridor collapses.
A flaming aurora forms above the Andes
As a mountain punctured by a meteor collapses.
Mayan temples appear in clouds over Mexico
As the statue of a conquistador collapses.
The sun sparkles as the crystal palace glowing
On Kandala's golden shore collapses.
Whirlwinds stream upward into clouds as a monolith
Erected during the Cimbrian war collapses.
Comets pierce iridescent galaxies
As a dolmen on a moonlit moor collapses.
Blue sparks sizzle in floating ash
As Mauna Loa's molten core collapses.
A pyramid of light blazing above
Samar's turquoise shore collapses.
Flashing mirrors reflect Kali
As a palace floor collapses.