Moonlight Muse

Abdul Malik Mandani

Whenever a voluptuous moon,

radiantly brimful, looms low

and gilds the tops of the trees,

The hills, the sprightly streams,

the languorously reclining lakes,

She appears to me from nowhere

Like a dream,

Like a flash of inspiration

to a muddled mind.

My Muse glides gracefully toward me

like an elusive wreath of smoke

and gathers me in her embrace

like a silken robe,

hovering around me

like the perfume of roses.

She appears as a stirring

source of fantasy and vision,

Like the magnificent Northern lights

displaying luminous draperies

on a star-spangled polar night,

Like a spectacular rainbow burst

after an intense shower,

Like a shooting star,

Like a blessed apparition.

I take her

as one would a reluctant bride

with gentle persuasion

and resilient arms!