Ellora | Steffen Horstmann

Kabir saw ashes pulse with light and whirl like snow in the caves,
Through smoke where Shiva's aura gleamed like a rainbow in the caves.

Mirabai wrote of how Krishna's flute silenced the wind,
As she wandered entranced, hearing its notes echo in the caves.

Ravana's shining reflection formed in Ganga's eyes, as though
Moonlight etched onto walls a luminous fresco in the caves.

Through the sound of rain you hear Ghosha's hymn to the Ashwinis,
Her words swirling like leaves through winds that blow in the caves.

There is an echo of distant waves within the breeze, a voice
That summons devis as their shadows glow in the caves.

Steffen Horstmann’s poems and book reviews have appeared in publications throughout the world, including Baltimore Review, Free State Review, Istanbul Literary Review, Louisiana Literature, Oyez Review, San Antonio Review, Texas Poetry Journal and Tiferet. He has published two books of ghazals, Jalsaghar (2016) and Ujjain (2017).

Steffen Horstmann, in his own words: “Agha Shahid Ali taught me the ghazal form while I was his student at the University of Arizona.”