rooh ku'shai

i

kisi bhatakti huíi rooh maiN
rooh phoonknaa tíra
yeh aímr rooh afzaa nahiN
rooh farsaa nahiN
rooh kushaa hay shayad

ii

hum haiN mudífun yahaaN wahaaN
jis nay chaha kuchla yahaaN wahaa

iii

khauf aata hay oss lamhay say
when this strip-poker of soulíll end
doubts surface and abound
what if there is nothing
behind the layers we peel
will we revel in nothingness

iv
{from a friend}
Life's Common Tragedies

Loss begets more loss these days
I tread water
Or thin, cracked ice
and dive repeatedly into the ponds of my own circumlocution

And to add insult to deep, sublime injury
I am called seer, sage also

Life's common tragedies
they call stories such as ours
and people such as you......


vi

life's common tragedies
are just that
.................common

here - will raise the glass
to the uncommon, as in special
.......................rare
divine comedies
that scar the soul
not once, not twice....

to drown, shift and seek
we walk the intersections
where we seek mates
unsuspectingly
ending with soul mates

and

instead of calming the seas
they cause mayhem in oceans
blaming fate we add
a few anguished scars on the face
and a few more on the soul

and speaking of fate ...