Zahra, You Left With the Moon

(oud alone, soft accordion enters, distant strings, no drums)
Zahra, you left with the moon —
I came home too late,
the room was quiet, and so were you.

(flashback — the night she left; nylon guitar, warm bass)
Your dress lay folded inside the blue suitcase,
one silent tear on your beautiful face.
You looked at me the way the evening looks at day,
then you closed the gate like a quiet door.

I had your heart, I held it wrong —
now every street is singing this song.
now every street is singing this song.

Zahra, you left with the moon,
now morning feels empty in this room.
Your dress is gone but your perfume remains,
and I'm still talking to your name.

(darbuka groove stronger, oud answering the lines)
Every woman turned, but none was you —
every black dress swore that it was you.
I found your earring by the bedroom chair,
still holding perfume from the evening air.

Zahra, you left with the moon,
now morning feels empty in this room.
Your dress is gone but your perfume remains,
and I'm still talking to your name.

(percussion drops out — solo oud, accordion melody)

(piano and oud only, no drums)
You only packed my favorite shirt.
On the mirror, written small:
"Love me better, or not at all."

(lifts higher — stronger percussion, brighter strings)
Zahra, you left with the moon,
now morning feels empty in this room.
Your dress is gone but your perfume remains,
and I'm still talking to your name.

(female echoes, then oud and strings only, one last breath)
Zahra — your name means flower,
and I learned it far too late:
I loved you late, that was my crime.