is nothing for ever

if......nothing is forever

what about love with an l or L
and its perennial nemesis hate
and that smile
furtively as it plays on over innocent faces
yet to be affected by Love or Hate

hum jo youN behtay haiN nafratouN ki mauj maiN
hum jo larzaaN haiN mohabbatouN kay darya maiN
hum jo kisi joostoojoo e azli maiN haiN griftaar sadaa
hum jo mohooum ummeedouN kay khushgawar khaabaouN
ki taabir o taamir maiN haiN koshaaN sadaa

what of the utterances
of sages and simpletons snaking down
...down to the reservoir of Wisdom
or the lies that mushroom with each repetition
into Lies and Falsehood

khooshi -- ik muskurahat
ghum -- hazaar taa'nay
zindagi -- bhaNwar beech darya
such -- fik'r o ehsaas ka azaab
aur rooh -- ijtamiyyat ki maut,
infradiyat ki fat'eh aur
harf -- pehla aur aakhri -- la-faani harf,
libadah rooh ka

what of deception
raised to an art form
and of real Art
Mona's smile, Tut's frown, Rasputin's gaze,
Bard's plays, Mirza's kalaam, the written Word

and the prisoner of past, present and future, Time
and the kernel of time, Truth
and the tides of truth, Reflections
and the blend of time, truth and reflections, Life
and the core of life, Beauty
and the conscience of beauty, Soul
...my wandering soul

is...
nothing forever?

[...and sadly Kasim
no nihilist am I
wandering eternally
in search of elusive
smiles, I remain
temporal ]
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my response to Nothing's Forever - Kasim master