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Monday, February 29, 2016

kaha hum nay / say something

kaha hum nay

kaha hum nay
kuch tou bolo
itni khamooshi
achchi nahiN
justice thomas
bheel bol paRay haiN
kuch tou bolo
itni khamooshi
achchi nahiN



say something

say something
this silence
is unnerving
say something
anything, even
justice thomas
has broken
his silence

Sunday, February 28, 2016

bicycle of time

bicycle of time

times have changed
sighingly they chorus

time is not static
the real change
is from within
(did rumi said it?)

some look ahead
and grow

others focus
on the rear view mirror
and are slapped
by the unforgiving time

in the bicycle of time
the rear wheels
must move in unison

when it does not
chaos gets its boost

(there is a 'tricycle' too
but on it another time ~t)

Saturday, February 27, 2016

11 men and a round object

11 men and a round object

camouflaged
chimerical hope
disguised bravado
delusionary 
dissonant 
disharmonious
auto suggestions
dissolve
in the light
of reality

Friday, February 26, 2016

la vie est belle

la vie est belle

much before
she entered the room
much before 
the measured steps
much before
the graceful smile
it was her aura
that gave her away

Thursday, February 25, 2016

burdens of migration

burdens of migration

wistful dreaming
of the memories abandoned
the anchor of burden
weighing down

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

hijrat ka tax

hijrat ka tax

yeh koie naee baat nahiN
saal b saal yehi hota hay
wahaaN, yahaan ka khwab 
yahaan, wahaaN ka khayal

is rau e sitam zareefi maiN
hum sub bahay jaatay haiN
aik nayaam: dou mehboobaiN
sukoon jo yahaaN hay
wahaaN dhoondtay haiN
a'jub hay yeh hijrat ka tax

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

hijratouN ki khalish / expat woes

hijratouN ki khalish 


timtimati roshnioN maiN
jub utra jahaz 
garam hawa garam-joshi say 
hui hum aaghosh 
her ehalkaar nay
'daalari' nazrouN say tola humaiN
khaabouN ki eent
airport hee say bikharnay lagi
na shah'r, na gali, na log
apnay apnay say lagay


expat woes

in the twinkling night
as the plane door opened
hot air slapped the face
officials, porters
evaluated each passenger
- worse than being body searched

same city, same road, same people
- but different
dreams crumbled slowly
and folded at the feet



Monday, February 22, 2016

waq't ka haseen sitam / woes of homeland insecurity

waq't ka haseen sitam

airport per huzoor nay kaha
zara tashreef la'ee'yay idhar
bus mukhtasaran ...
jahaz gaya, hum  reh ga'aye

jo naam hay humara, so hay
kya karaiN hum
chalo, khair hay
kuch waq't aur yaadouN
kay saharay guzar laitay haiN

woes of homeland insecurity

at the airport
not satisfied with the hole in the sock
was asked to take off the belt too
and the final pleasantry
'step this way, sir'
oh sure...

this was the name parents gave
(without asking me)
decades before the 'list' surfaced
....so
missed the flight
more time to reminisce

Sunday, February 21, 2016

jaanib e sheh'r e yaraaN / towards memoryville

jaanib  e sheh'r e yaraaN


yaad e raftgaaN seenay say laga'aye
aashna chehrouN ki yaad saja'aye
oon galiouN dukanON ko
dobara daikhnay ki khaawhish li'aye
chalay thay ujalay maiN hum

towards memoryville

embracing ensconced memories
of people & places left behind
packed and left
to re-embrace them once again

Saturday, February 20, 2016

converfession vi

converfession vi

aur bolo
kiya bolaiN
kuch bhee
bura tou nahiN lagay ga
aap bolaiN aur humaiN bura na lagay?
tou phir kyun aa bail mujhay maar?
oof ho
offho aik lafz hay
nahin dO
ab kya karaiN
bulao na 
@mazdaki, @microMAF 
@uzairsdad @shreedaisy 
ya  @FShirin ko
off ho
nahiN  oof ho

Friday, February 19, 2016

talaash / the search

talaash


shish jehat 
talaash 
khuda ki 

qar'b merg 
paa hee liya aakhir
nehaaN khana e dil maiN

sud afsos 
kay wohi dil 
youN 
jawab day gaya

the search

pertinacious search
for the truth elusive
over
the w    i    d     e  world

success beckoned
after a lifetime
of pursuit

found it
in the recesses
of heart

too bad
that heart
past its prime
gave in

Thursday, February 18, 2016

the search

pertinacious search
for the truth elusive
over
the w    i    d     e  world

success beckoned
after a lifetime
of pursuit

found it
in the recesses
of heart

too bad
that heart
past its prime
gave in

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

talaash

talaash

shish jehat 
talaash 
khuda ki 

qar'b merg 
paa hee liya aakhir
nehaaN khana e dil maiN

sud afsos 
kay wohi dil 
youN 
jawab day gaya

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

if we had a choice

if we had a choice 

what is wrong with people?
why are they blaming him
for being born
in the wrong household
in the wrong country
with the wrong skin colour
and the wrong religion

if he had a choice
if we had a choice...

Monday, February 15, 2016

rush'q

rush'q

rush'q aata hay oon nakhudaON per
jo beh'r e muskurat maiN
aandhiouN ka saamna kertay huay
listing to port
listing to starboard
take on water
and weather 
the storm of smiles
with smiles

Sunday, February 14, 2016

the morn after v-day

the morn after v-day

so
i wonder
after euphoria
and the roses wilt
what remains?

no
please
do not tell me
love lingers

if 
it did
it 
(always) 
will
so?

Saturday, February 13, 2016

for m: lafzON ka yeh guldasta

for m: lafzON ka yeh guldasta


mita na sakhay mah o saal
woh lumhay woh tabassum t'ra
nehaN khana e dil maiN
rahaiNgay jo mehfooz sada

#HappyValentinesDay

Friday, February 12, 2016

converfession i-v

converfession i


who is not
she countered
try and curb your faults
when i confessed 
am human

wondered what good 
was my confession 
but knowing where she came from
and the aftermath of explanations 
said i
appreciate and thanks 

(did i change my ways afterwards 
no, but it was nice to know she cared)

converfession ii

when will this journey end?

the pebble on the sea shore
once a rock on a snow peak
now washed endlessly
by waves that travelled oceans
asked the same query

life 
no standing to lie still 
no lying to stand still
transformative 
cyclical
dust to ashes to dust
smile to smile


converfession iii

where can one look for peace?
round the corner from prosperity
prosperity is peace’s neighbor?
no, there is an empty plot of land
a no prosperity-no peace zone
with barbed electric fences
guarded by ferocious hirsute men with dogs 
carrying a rectangular object 
wrapped in silk around their necks
a dog eared book?
maybe 
or a parchment on rituals? aerobics?
maybe
nobody can dance with pricked toes
and the beard gets in the way 
that empty plot of land is a cemetery
to bury joy and happiness?
that is for another day


converfession iv

in the cemetery of peace
peace joins happiness
happiness, bigamous?
happiness is polygamous
i didn’t know she was a mormon. 
no wonder they are so grim 
and happy simultaneously
grimaces are disguised smiles
are they ordained philanderers 
or just work hard at it
i have no answer
the founders are long gone


converfession v
fish cried
               profusely
to fill the bowl

self-preservation 
              a reaction
ah self-defense
like that lal fellow’s burka? 
offensive defense? 

in college this girl 
- a fascinating smile
those who succumbed 
were collateral damage
did she use depleted uranium 
in her tooth fillings?

she victimised with cluster-smiles
and daisy-cutters?
wore a daisy print dress
with stars and stripes?

you do know her!
she smiled at me at the cemetery
did she find the tall bearded fellow 
she loved? she told me she will go 
to the end of the earth to find him

the earth is encompassing 
and conceals
she was weak in logic and geography
lucky guy! 

life with her would have been sheer boredom
excitement is bad for your heart 
and the wallet
one above the waist and the other below
people die living

converfession [conversation + confession] is a frozen recollection of conversation with friends in the past. am indebted to the two friends i generally misquote here

Thursday, February 11, 2016

converfession v

converfession v

fish cried
               profusely
to fill the bowl

self-preservation 
              a reaction
ah self-defense
like that lal fellow’s burka? 
offensive defense? 

in college this girl 
- a fascinating smile
those who succumbed 
were collateral damage
did she use depleted uranium 
in her tooth fillings?

she victimised with cluster-smiles
and daisy-cutters?
wore a daisy print dress
with stars and stripes?

you do know her!
she smiled at me at the cemetery
did she find the tall bearded fellow 
she loved? she told me she will go 
to the end of the earth to find him

the earth is encompassing 
and conceals
she was weak in logic and geography
lucky guy! 

life with her would have been sheer boredom
excitement is bad for your heart 
and the wallet
one above the waist and the other below
people die living

converfession [conversation + confession] is a frozen recollection of conversation with friends in the past. am indebted to the two friends i generally misquote here


Wednesday, February 10, 2016

converfession iv

converfession iv

in the cemetery of peace
peace joins happiness
happiness, bigamous?
happiness is polygamous
i didn’t know she was a mormon. 
no wonder they are so grim 
and happy simultaneously
grimaces are disguised smiles
are they ordained philanderers 
or just work hard at it
i have no answer
the founders are long gone

Tuesday, February 09, 2016

zaat ka aashura

zaat ka aashura

shish jehati rukh
yaad e maazi ka
hanstay chehray
pur'fiza mausam
rukhsati 
rotay dil
aur matami haal


zaat ka aashura*

sepia photos
fading postcards
wish-you-were-here
past allures
romances
aches
grimaces
the pain we imagine
to inflict on selves
not imagine
recall

*day of self-flagellation 

Sunday, February 07, 2016

converfession iii

converfession iii

where can one look for peace?
round the corner from prosperity
prosperity is peace’s neighbor?
no, there is an empty plot of land
a no prosperity-no peace zone
with barbed electric fences
guarded by ferocious hirsute men with dogs 
carrying a rectangular object 
wrapped in silk around their necks
a dog eared book?
maybe 
or a parchment on rituals? aerobics?
maybe
nobody can dance with pricked toes
and the beard gets in the way 
that empty plot of land is a cemetery
to bury joy and happiness?
that is for another day

Saturday, February 06, 2016

converfession ii

converfession ii

when will this journey end?

the pebble on the sea shore
once a rock on a snow peak
now washed endlessly
by waves that travelled oceans
asked the same query

life 
no standing to lie still 
no lying to stand still
transformative 
cyclical
dust to ashes to dust
smile to smile

Friday, February 05, 2016

converfession i

converfession i


who is not
she countered
try and curb your faults
when i confessed 
am human

wondered what good 
was my confession 
but knowing where she came from
and the aftermath of explanations 
said i
appreciate and thanks 

(did i change my ways afterwards 
no, but it was nice to know she cared)

Thursday, February 04, 2016

leaky boat






leaky boat i

how much water
can a boat take
               before
it capsizes

some spent lifetime
               probing
till the pump dies


leaky boat ii

when the boat goes under
often it is not the iceberg
the storm, wear and tear
over the years past
                       it is
those rusted tin cans
                       that give up
fighting the overflow


leaky boat iii

one day the ustaad
(who took abuse
with grace, in stride)
failed to show up
they said
the vessels
carrying fluids
had succumbed
and the pump
gave in
unable to handle
pervasive dichotomy

Wednesday, February 03, 2016

leaky boat iii

leaky boat iii

one day the ustaad
(who took abuse
with grace, in stride)
failed to show up
they said
the vessels
carrying fluids
had succumbed
and the pump
gave in
unable to handle
pervasive dichotomy

Tuesday, February 02, 2016

leaky boat ii

leaky boat ii

when the boat goes under
often it is not the iceberg
the storm, wear and tear
over the years past
                       it is
those rusted tin cans
                       that give up
fighting the overflow

Monday, February 01, 2016

leaky boat i

leaky boat i

how much water
can a boat take
               before
it capsizes

some spent lifetime
               probing
till the pump dies