mirage

the truth of love-supreme
earth and heaven
existential zenith
experiential nadir 
mired in the the field of vision
real or perceived 
illusions of love-supreme

karishma saaz ha'aye nigha e shauq

karishma saaz ha'aye nigha e shauq

yeh zamin o falak
bulandiaN  pastiaN
haiN jahaN nazar ki zud maiN
wahaN haiN kahaN
kay haiN yeh sub
karishma saaz ha'aye nigha e shauq
aur bus

ghota-zun

ghota-zun

yeh mullah ho 
ya woh daakter
yeh anchor ho
ya woh danishwar
khakhi ya noori
khood faraibi maiN
haiN sub ghota-zun

mullahs, ministers
anchors, talking head
legends in their minds
impervious to sense
and sensibility
pour pollution 24/7

chameleonesque day

fair & lovely
hoarse pitches
this black friday

oh canada

in the dead of the night

when you can hear 

far off whispers

floor boards murmur

see distant stars

i stare intently

at the fire

hear the wood wail

feel the heart burning

with all that blood inside

i think of shoeless migrants

who feel hope 

on a rumbling stomach

and cold aching feet

marvel at their mix

of despair and hope

and the open arm welcome

of my country of adoption

gharz

meh say na mulla say hay gharz mujhko

behaktay haiN, behkatay haiN donoN

in donOn say hay nahiN gharz mujhko

time

time dies
not

time 
kills

is 
killed

ennui
kills

verse
too

jeeway, jeeway aali

jeeway, jeeway aalijeeway

muskurati hui woh aankhaiN

munfarid woh andaaz e bayaan

woh gonjta hu'a lub o lehja

sadioN goonjtay rahaiNgay

aaliji  naghmay apkay dohay

https://youtu.be/u4TMTP2RR20

six directions / shish jehat

six directional fog, in mid ocean
your thought is the only companion
enough to keep the boat afloat


shish jehat dhundh
beech samundar maiN
sath ger hay tou t'ra
koi maanay ya na maanay

wonderlust to wanderlust

wonderlust to wanderlust

dislust
wonderlust
infolust
catalust
wanderlust

(zabardust)

mrs. ashfaq munir's resentment

mrs. ashfaq munir's resentment

8.00 pm

resentment played

on the smooth face of mrs ashfaq munir

like the strobe lights 

on niagara falls at  dusk

as mr. ashfaq munir

wriggled and settled

in his lazy boy

commercial break

during the commercial break

his gaze would wander around the room

the dieffenbachia in the corner

taj mahal on the silk wall carpet

half-filled ashtray

yesterday's news by his feet

and on the side table

luke warm tea

and missus...

missus would pick up the tv guide

during this break and stare intently

at its pages

reading the schedule

like qur'an

sans understanding or intent

routine

since over a score plus two years

monday-friday, 9-5 same routine

wake up, brush, shower, breakfast

pick up brief case, mumble byes and

from the office  at 11 and 3

mandatory phone calls home

on the way back home

occasionally some chores

milk, eggs, laundry

followed by a quiet dinner

reading the evening paper

then nonchalantly inquiring

-how are you

-how was your day

-any news

8.15 pm

after washing his hands

he would sit in his lazy boy

wriggle to a comfortable posture

in front of the tv

but today he sensed mrs. ashfaq munir

appeared more resentful

than past days, months, years

commercial breaks came and went

mr ashfaq munir

ensconced in his easy chair halo

wondered about her resentment

his thought streams

like the search light from the towers

circling the landscape

randomly fell on her face

but her resentment

was not an escaped prisoner

frozen in its glare

10.00 pm

tv viewing ended

they brushed their teeth

exchanged inaudible good-nights

and went to sleep

back to back

_______

(urdu version)

begum ashfaq munir ki berhami

begum ashfaq munir ki berhami

begum ashfaq munir ki berhami



8.00 pm

berhami
aabshaar e niagra per jhilmilati roshniouN ki maanind
begum ashfaq munir kay shaf'faaf chehray per
chanakti rahi aur janab ashfaq munir
apni aaram-daah kursi maiN dhanstay rahay



saat e waqfa e ishtihaar

dauraan e waqfa
janab ki nighahaiN
kamray ka tawaf kerti haiN
kaunay maiN rakha pouda
deewar per taj mahal
adh bhari khaakdaan
zair e paa baasi khabraiN
aur paas rakhi aah bharti chai ki piyali

aur haaN, begum bhee
jo ishtihar shru hotay hee
tv guide ootha ker
ishtihar kay khatam hona tuk
qur'an ki tarah her laf'z paRtheeN
--hijjay aur ta'laf'fooz d'rust
--ma'anay aur mafhoom na aashna



ma'mool

kuch bees jama dus saal hu'aye haiN
inka wohi ma'mool e roz-murrah
pir-juma gardish e nau-paanch


oothay
naha'aye
naashta kiya
bag sanbhali
aur rukhsat hotay hu'aye
ooper walay say a'maan mangi
kabhi zubani, kabi isharatan
aur dafter say do baar
gyara aur teen bajay
begum say phoni istifsaar....

aur wapsi per
hasb e zaoorat, ya hasb e wa'ada
doodh, anday, laundry
lay ker ghar pohaNchna
khamooshi say khana khana
shaam ka akhbar paRhna
aur ik shaan e bay-niazi say
begum say  poochna
aap theek tou haiN?'
din kaisay guzra?
koi khabar?



8:15 pm

aur phir tv kay samnay
apni pasandida
aramdah kursi per barjaman
laikin aaj begum ashfaq munir
pichlay dinouN, saalouN say
kuch ziyadah hee berhum
nazar aa rahee theeN

waqfay aatay rahay
aur janab ashfaq munir
joos'tu'joo e asbaab e berhumi e begum
maiN rahay ghota-zun

fik'r oonhouN nay
kisi oonchay minar say
nachti huee roshniouN ki maa'nind
idhar oodhar doRRai
laikin afsos, begin ki munjamid berhami ka raaz
koi farari qaidi tou tha nahiN
jo oonki fikri roshnioun ki zudd maiN aajata



10:00 pm

tv prograam kaht'm hu'a
janab  aur begum donoN nay daant maNjhay
aur shub kay khair say guzarnay ki
thaki thaki khaahishouN ka
dabay dabay andaaz maiN kiya izhar
aur peeth say peeth mila ker
lait ga'aye.

feeble attempts

can regale you with tales
some tall, some short & sweet
time and twitter thwart
my feeble attempts to write


har'j kya hay kehnay ko

kehnay ko tou buhat kuch hay
laikin zamana na twitter
daita hay ijazat hum ko
warna
kehnay ko tou buhat kuch hay

har'j kya hay kehnay ko

kehnay ko tou buhat kuch hay
laikin zamana na twitter
daita hay ijazat hum ko
warna
kehnay ko tou buhat kuch hay

akbar allahbadi

yaad aata hay phir akbar ka andaaz e bayaan
woh resham maiN lipta ooska andaaz e bayaan
dheema lehja aur zaire e lub muskurahat
kaRwa such, meetha sherbat, t'ra andaaz e bayaan

(wonder if i should have written zair e moonch instead)

more on akbar allahbadi HERE

twitter.com/Rekhta/status/…

Rekhta @Rekhta

Duniya mein hoon duniya ka talabgar nahin hoon Bazar se guzra hoon kharidar nahin hoon #AkbarAllahabadi #birthday pic.twitter.com/AUTX9HpzIZ

Rekhta ‏@Rekhta  Nov 6

#Sheroftheday #AkbarAllahabadi duniya mein hun duniya ka talabgar nahin hun baazaar se guzra hun kharidar nahin hun

55 retweets58 likes

Krzysztof Kieslowski turns red

Krzysztof Kieslowski turns red

blood, blood, blood
blue, white, red
clergy, nobility, bourgeoisie
liberty, equality, fraternity
beheading, crushing, stoning
defenders of defunct doctrine
unleash crimson waves
but this tempest too
shall fade, obliviate
time not their cohort
time not their master
blue, white, red
shall prevail

fear flows with blood

fear flows with blood
veins and arteries
of religion and culture
takes them places

borne of violence
mount to avalanche to sea
to far off countries
fear flows with blood
and colours us red

shaam e ghum: paris friday 13/2015

shaam e ghum
paris friday 13/2015

aaj phir udas hooN maiN
badal ghum kay her soo'

kaisay haiN yeh pagal
darinda sif't jaanwer


the deluded struck
again
frenzied
unabated killing
unending cycle
that knows no love
or border

zabaan e yaar e ...

kuch aap nay kaha
kuch hum nay suna
is kahee suni maiN
baat baRhti ga'aee
pehlay dost
phir dushman kooday
ajub hay yeh kahaani
zabaan kay sitam ki




zabaan e yaar e ...

we talk, argue, love, hate
acquiesce and stifle
using same words which do not
effectively communicate
then call in therapists
lawyers, soldiers, politicians
to clear misunderstanding
in the same language

zabaan e yaar

zabaan e yaar

we talk, argue, love, hate
acquiesce and stifle
using same words which do not
effectively communicate
then call in therapists
lawyers, soldiers, politicians
to clear misunderstanding
in the same language

khalkhali

khalkhali*

raat tareek thee
kamra aur baataiN
dhuaNdar

kaha oos nay
tumhi insaaf karo
hum nay kaha bibi
khauf karo
wapis la lo
apnay alfaz ko
kaheeN hum
khalkhali* na bun jaiN

blame

blame

that child
dances to the music
in his head

with time
we have grown deaf
blame the child

rear view mirror iii: unleashed wistfulness

unleashed wistfulness

that chance encounter
floodgates of memories
by the river green
that electric touch
(electric or electrifying)
wrinkle free innocence
drowned out, stored memories
flowed like lava ash
covering the present

aansoo/tear drops

to write is to cry in silence ~paul coelho via @FShirin 

aansoo 

jo dil say niklay
na pur-num
na ba-awaaz
fiq't pur-asar
zalzalouN
sunamioN
say zyada
pur-qalam
pur-asar

tear drops

the tears
that flow
nor cry
have power
unimaginable

rear view mirror ii

rear view mirror ii

bar'f pighalta hay
paani behta hay
jawani dhalti hay
aur yeh yaar meray
sadiouN puranay
qissay dohratay
thakhtay nahiN
thakhtay nahiN

rear view mirror (series)

rear view mirror i

maa'sha'allah

tunnel visionaries
dekhtay peechay haiN
aur bay dhaRak
raiNgtay haiN
aagay ki janib

righteous indignation

righteous indignation

earthquake

building collapse

fire in slums

arabs lost

(not them bedouins

billions or trillions)

in government contracts

and talking heads

talk of his arrogance

her dupatta

November 4/2015

what do i know? what do you know? what do they know?

what do i know?
what do you know?
what do they know?

present, an obe experience
fog, familial smells, food
modulation and articulation
dazed dance of whirling exclamations

what do i know?
what do you know?
what do they know?

fate, pursued doggedly in the desert by blind bedouins
fate, vain wailings of an uncaring lover
fate, wiles of an overindulgent paramour
mind's perpetual camera
capturing those kodak memories
mortifying melancholic memories
weighed, wrapped and dropped in mid ocean
only to emerge unannounced
to devour happiness, no
to gnaw at absence of sadness
fate, faux concern, inundating, overwhelming
fate, created, manufactured, discovered

what do i know?
what do you know?
what do they know?

kaha oos nay

kaha oos nay choRho 
kya rakha hay in baatON maiN
kyun kureedtay  rehtay hO zakhm-e-dil kO

kaha humnay
kabhi khaul say bahar tou niklo
kabhi kisi aur nazar say bhee
kisi ko dekho
kisi ko samjho
kaheeN aisa na hO
kay aap youN hee ghar'q rahaiN

kisi guzri bahar kay intezaar maiN aur
kaheen woh nazrouN
kay samnay say guzar ja'aye
kaheen woh moq'qa youN hee raigaaaN ja'aye
khizaan hay aaj tO bahaar doo'r nahiN
kabhi tO muskuradO

kay din bahar kay doo'r nahiN 

yeh wa'ada raha / promise you

yeh wa'ada raha yeh jeet nahiN cancer ki hum ik bar phir milaingay wa'ada raha promise you will meet again cancer's win is fleeting will meet again my amor twitter.com/GoogleStreetAr…

Street Art @GoogleStreetArt

New Street Art by Christina Angelina & Fanakapan #art #graffiti #mural #streetart pic.twitter.com/YpJdlQkO22

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