The Black Dog

Posted on by Reena Saxena

You are not welcome here, please go away
Maybe I live again, if you move far, far away

I shed copious tears when all’s going well
The night sky descends; sunrise looks grey

The weight of existence feels unbearable
I sink further down, as tired feet give way

Let me burn down to ashes before I rise again
I am no Phoenix, but there are dragons to slay

A therapist supports, Reena, as sanity goes astray
Angel or devil-in-disguise, just don’t go away

W3 Prompt #171

32 thoughts on “The Black Dog”

  8. I enjoyed reading this Reena – this couplet is brilliant

    ‘Let me burn down to ashes before I rise again
    I am no Phoenix, but there are dragons to slay’

    Depression is a silent assassin ❤️

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  9. Reena, this is powerful—your couplets carry so much weight and vulnerability.

    It may not follow the strict ghazal form (missing the repeating refrain and rhyme), but the emotional arc and steady cadence give it a haunting beauty all its own!

    ~David

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      1. Yes, the second lines do rhyme, and that gives the poem a nice flow. What sets a traditional ghazal apart, though, is that the second line of every couplet ends with the exact same word or phrase—a repeated refrain—immediately after the rhyme.

        So it’s not just rhyming, but rhyme plus refrain. That said, your poem uses the couplet form to express something deeply personal, and that really comes through. I love it ❤

        ~David

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