Lost in Midnight
after Ghalib
In the city’s darkest hour I find myself at a stranger’s door with a flask that’s almost empty and a heart that’s full of longing still
The moon above, a ghostly galleon rides the wind, a lonely voyager I think of all the loves that I’ve known and the ones that I’ve yet to surrender to
In this dimly lit and forsaken place I search for solace, a respite from pain but like a mirage, it vanishes leaving me with nothing but the stain of memories that refuse to fade and the ache of love that’s yet to be made
I took from Ghalib his fascination with the intricacies of love and existential crises, and applied it to a specific occasion where the speaker is lost in the city at midnight, searching for solace and respite from pain. I aimed to capture the musicality and nuance of his verse, with a focus on the complexities and mysteries of human experience.