Postcard from Kashmir

The poem consists of 14 lines, reminiscent of the sonnet form, and is arranged in four stanzas, the first two of which are couplets. The last two stanzas are of unequal lengths (six and four lines, respectively), giving the poem’s structure a contemporary twist. The poem does not follow regular rhyme or meter, though aural devices like alliteration, repetition, and half-rhymes provide it an interior rhythm. The opening stanzaic couplets are in the manner of the ghazal, a Persian and Urdu poetic form that consists entirely of couplets. The poem’s nod to the sonnet and the ghazal, while maintaining its own unique, contemporary form shows the poet’s homage to all his varied literary influences.

Repetition occurs with the words “home” (Lines 2, 5, 6) and “so” (Lines 7, 8, 9, 10). Assonance—that is, the repetition of vowel sounds—occurs with the repeated plaintive “o” sound (“home,” “closest,” “so”; Lines 5, 6, 7), which emphasizes the poem’s tone of yearning and nostalgia. Examples of alliteration—where the initial consonant sound is repeated—include “Now I hold / the half-inch Himalayas in my hand.