Behne do, dhulne do, no roko inhe
Yeh ashq taa umr dete hai sahara

khwaab dekhna abb takk choda nahi iss dil ne
Shayad kuch zakhm abhi aur baaki hai

Kuch Aur Sher

Kaise sikha du mai wafa tumhe
hai nahi ye ada jo sikha du tumhe.
Rooh mai basi ek shamma ye
Na jali toh kaise dikhau tumhe.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aajkal chubti nahi, ye aankhien
sooke patte ho gai hai; ye aankhien.
Kabhi bheegti thei yaadon mein
Ab toh khud yaadein ban gai hai; ye aakhein.

Beyond the hot sun

That rosebed of a path that he once tread
Somehow over time he began to dread
The fragarent flowers that filled his morn
Now he felt nothing but scorn.
The beautiful trees that put him to sleep
Left in him a void so very deep.
Everything beautiful, everything pristine
Yet he longed for something unseen

On the rocky path of dirt and mire
Not the cool shades, nor the zephyr
The nature of jungle was his way
For that is where his soul lay
Into the wild he wanted to run
Back to himself, completely undone
A battle with oneself to be won
Into the world beyond the hot sun.

Ye wohi hai jo na tha kabhi
kabhi hota toh ye na hota
abb jo hai toh sochte hai
jo ye hai toh kya hua?

pathar mein doondte hai khuda
jahaan insaan kabka pathar hua
abb jo dil aaina hain koi
kaho woh khuda kyun na hua?

maazi ke aaine mein dekha yunhi
aks mein jaane kaun ajnabi tha
paas aaya, muskuraaya aur bola
"pehchaana mujhe?
Kabhi tum mai hua kartey thei"

teri aankhon ke raaste se guzar kar
kahin kho chuka hun main,
thaam lo mujhko ki tum mein sama kar
khud ko bhula chuka hun main,
nahin dekhti ruh ki kya hai pehrahan uska
aaine mai tumko hee dekhta hun main
hai khil rahi kokh mohabbat ki
tumhi se hi lo abb janma hun main

(A friend complained as I was not going to attend her marriage so following shayari came out during conversation.)

Majboor hun halaat se varna kya tha mere dost
Tere liye toh jaan bhi dete mere dost.
Tu hai ik tukda iss chote se dil ka mere dost
Hai naginaa tu pyar ka aye mere dost.

*********************************************

(A friend asked for another shair after i had finished telling her one above. So said the following four lines)

Meri dukaan mein samaan bahut kam hai
Iss dimaag ke khet ki upajh bahut kam hai
kabhi kabhi hee nikalte hai nagine aise koi
varna kuch likhen iski hasiyat zara kam hai

Idea

(Written the poem in two different versions)

Version 1.
------------------------------------------------
Ideas wander aimlessly in the garden of my mind
Jumping from one far corner to another
Talking, blaberring, running, walking, playing
These uselessly meaningful yet aimless ideas of mine.

Ideas of life, ideas of death,
Ideas of pain, ideas of happiness,
Thoughts of the impossible,
Memories of the bygones,
Feelings of the unfelt,
Fears of the unknown.

An idea for an idea,
They make me cringe,
They make me stare
Sometimes force me to hide
Sometimes force me to bare.

They hold secrets to my salvation
They mock silently at my desperation
Sometimes I try and crush them,
And they do retreat;
But in this victory of mine I feel defeated
And in this defeat germinates another idea.
Ah!! my agony, my peace, my ideas.

*****************************************************


Version 2
---------------------------------------------------
From the deepest recesses of my heart
where day and night meet,
where seasons intermingle,
where rivers fly and sky flows,
where the world is not what it seems;
does an idea germinate.

Kept under the carpet of a silent conscious
where rainbow of my dreams takes shape,
where seeds of impossible are nourished,
where flowers of my garden bloom,
where life walks her first steps;
does an idea grow.

Through the garden of my consciousness
where fragerance of my memories flow,
where energy of my thoughts run,
where eyes of my world see through,
where castles of dreams get finally built;
does an idea find shape.

Through the fingers of that slight of hand
where conscious no more leads but is led,
where confusion silently finds peace,
where desperation looses all strength,
where salvation of the soul is final;
does an idea find identity.

The blood flows

His sunny day just turned dark
As the killers strolled in his park
Hitting him, maiming him, blow by blow
Till his soft blood began to flow.

You infidel will have to pay for sins
In destroying you; our belief wins
When and how we hit; you will never know
Everywhere your sinful blood will flow.

Sinful for not being them; he wondered
Where in his birth had he blundered?
A small child was he; didn't they know
Why did they want his blood to flow?

Soon the fourth estate gained control
Zoom in, zoom out, the child has a role
A day-night affair, fodder for show
For some more time the blood should flow.

Meanwhile the guardians claimed revenge
Every injury, every hurt to be avenged
Lord Bush patiently will listen to our woe
Enough! No more will the blood flow.

The neighbours began to chant peace
Claimed to suffer from same disease
Talks and discussions now the new show
And the blood continued to flow.

You and I were outraged, very angry
Enough we had; enough of modesty.
But they say time heals; and so
In the memory did the blood flow.

Last heard, the child is up and running
Has started to play, his pain is regressing.
The child is resilient; has overcome the blow
For his blood has dried from the flow.

And now, we are back to being we
Showmans us all, we wait to see
When the killers strike another blow
Another child's blood to flow.

Empty Commotion

A glimpse slowly trailing away
from the corner of the eye
disappearing into the dark silent lanes.
A moment, in just a tiny moment
time travelled backwards
sinking the heart, sinking the soul
Something stirred within that left numb
a feeling, an emotion untouched.
Questions flew, digging something deep
And then deeper than before.
For first time there were no answers
Nothing black, nothing white
Like a bolt from the blue.
Unexpected the frenzy, uninvited the pain
Something unfelt, something untouched
as heart and mind froze with commotion,
of too many things and yet a void.
Bottled up within, or already let out?
Confusion for no answers come forth
just a well building up in the eyes
and without a warning;
the tears flow.

Rose

Why did the gardener plant the rose?
Did it matter if the rose knew not?
For it wasn’t about the garden she worried,
in her own existence did she glow.

She smiled to innocent songs of the birds.
She played with the soft silky butterflies.
She danced with leaves that adorned her
and comforted the sulking thorns.

An existence that grew in self indulgence
she painted her world with red.
Beautiful and pleasant with cheerful playfulness
from the love and pride for one's self.

Why then did the wind choose otherwise?
Why then he called for her destruction?
One by one why did he wither away
her very delicate, very soft petals?

What sadistic pleasure did he get by destroying
the very existence of an innocent love?
What sinful pleasures did he enjoy by peeling
a lively being of her ever glowing skin?

And when he completely annihilated her
did he expect the fragrance to fade?
Or was he completely stupefied
as he watched the rosebud
bloom to life again?

Did he stare in disbelief
at his power rendered frivolous?
While the rosebud laughed and sang
a silent challenge -
"Come On, destroy me again".

Alvida

Hai thandi hawayaen bahaar ki sehlaati
Ae jism ko jhulsaati jaalati luu;
alvida...

Hai sawaan ki boondein pyaas bhujati
Ae tapish mosam-e-garma ki;
alvida...

Hai phool khil rahe umeed ke aangan mein
Ae mayoos hui sooni banjarr zameen;
alvida...

Hai roshan uske noor se mera ashiyaan
ae ghar mein basse andhere kamre;
alvida...

Hai dil khil raha uski muskurahat se
ae yaadein un tanha asoouon ki;
alvida...

Hai rooh mein doobi hui ab saansein uski
ae pal pal tadapti sisakti zindagi;
alvida...

Sorry

In these hands of clay
muddled and confused as they may;
Still their faith rested in them
and the hands played along.

In these hands of clay
promises of heavenly beauty lay;
In scripting a wonderful life story
the hands tried being God.

In these hands of clay
dragged them on my very own way;
And when they reached the inevitable
the hands moved along.

In these hands of clay
did not the hands of almighty lay;
And when the final blow came hard
the hands felt small.

In these hands of clay
tearful and regretful are now they;
For the mess added in their lives
the hands are sorry now.

Khali lamhe...

Khali lamhe tere naam, tere liye
ke dil bheeg raha teri surat se;
Jo rehti hai zehan mein kahin,
uthal puthal chalti rehti yahin;
Ke tum ho jo ho; bas aur koi
aaye na aaye, jaaye na jaaye;
Mere liye toh tum nahin, koi nahin

Lust

Everywhere everytime, a shadow
Lingering with me forever,
Casting on my being an endless darkness

Been years since you captured
rendering me incomplete;
taking away from me my soul
corrupting the blood through the veins

A dual personality,
Me and him
you split me up.

One white and pure,
red like rose with love
that seeks to reach divine;
The other black, pitch black
threatening the other.
Ah! the lustful animal,
the devil.

How many fights more to fight
between me and me?
Where do the answers lie
annihilation or assimilation
of each other?

Oh you devil enough have I had
leave me now or take me away;
forever....

Where were you?

When among the ruins of my actions
Was my body breaking, shattering
Longing for a hand to hold one last time;
Oh! The hand that now is mine to hold,
Where were you?

When in the seeping chilling winds
Was I shivering, freezing
From the want of warmth of human touch;
Oh! The hug that warms my cold skin now,
Where were you?

When in the arid lands of wander
Was my skin peeling with simmering heat
That choked my throat into silence;
Oh! The nectar that now quenches my thirst,
Where were you?

When in the dark alleys of lust
Was my soul turning blackish red
From the dust of the sinful skin;
Oh! The light that clearly lights my path now,
Where were you?

When silence sometimes questioned
Was my heart seeking answers everywhere
For at rest was never my soul;
Oh! The answer now to all my questions,
Where were you?

When then do I get the answer
As my heart finally sees you
From the depth of depths it says;
Oh! every pain, every agony readied me for you,
that is where my love, were you.

Teri Aankhen

Subah ki dhoop mein khili Jheel koi
Safed khamosh ajab gehri;
Teri aankhen

Barsaat mein bheege patte ke jaise
Khusbu mein doobi rehti;
Teri aankhen

Thakaan dinn ki pal mein mitjaaye
Deti ajab sa sakoon hai;
Teri aankhen

Paar karr jaaon khud ko inme samaakar
Hai pukaarti mujhe;
Teri aankhen

Ek khoobsurat ehsaas daudta hai lahoo mein
Choo leti hai jab meri rooh ko;
Teri aankhen

Lagta hai inka haque hai mere wajood parr
Jab dekhkar sharmaa jaati hai;
Teri aankhen.

Khuda se hai ek aakhri dua meri
Harr Subah meri dekhe bass;
Teri aankhen.

I want to BE

Lost to time
Blank like a zombie
Clouds hover over my head
Hands could never see

Wave them off they blur
My vision into darkness
Let me be here for a while
In my world of ignorance

For your world seeks to drink
My blood and my soul
Push me into a shell
Cage me into that pigeon hole

Let me say the final goodbyes
To you and to time
For now it doesn’t matter anymore
Neither ridiculous nor sublime

So don’t come to me
For there is nothing to offer
Stop digging and poking me
Silence has emptied my coffer.

And now, I just want to BE
Exist for no reason at all
A rock stoic and unmoved
Come winter, come fall.

Growing Tall

Standing at the start
after the end of beginning
walk begins on the new path
chosen for you

and you walk....

on the rosebeds of love
through the thorns of hate

Oceans call out on you
to a new island of greneery,
of life....

Emotions like waves start engulfing
blurred visions begin to clear
as heart begins to smile

The familiar begins to creep in
But with a freshness anew
the swim becomes a pleasure
and you float

dreams, hopes, castles, desires
and everything beautiful
in future beckons

The fear of being drowned again
slowly and slowly dies
and when u think -
nothing could go wrong
that path takes a u-turn

And then you find yourself
back again where you started
the cycle completes itself...

And then you wonder
why did it ever have to start?
Whether you moved a step forward
Or was it a step back?

But then my friend,
the question isnt about progress
for the time is still
doesnt move at all.
And all that ever matters is -

Did the I shorten
Or
Did he grow tall?