qayamat aai gee qayamat dhai gee

khaak nasheen
     tu bhee hay 
milaygee jub
    khaak say khaak
qayamat  aai gee 
qayamat dhai gee

breathing longing belonging

breathing longing belonging
probing penetrating
wandering  wondering
if fate ordains 
meeting lady luck

survival first dreaming later

as the hurricane 
showered havoc
           carefully
i folded my dreams
packed my sighs
and buried them 
          deep

survival first
dreaming later

Except. Accept. Expect. Aspect.

Except. Accept. Expect. Aspect.

of tv pundits
one aspect
is crystal clear
they accept 
no dissent, no discord
except from expected 
un informed 
err     uniformed quarters

coin not in the fountain

coin not in the fountain

religion tainted hatred
          maims and kills

bigotry and racism here 
inflicts the same 
          collective pain

fictional fable

fictional fable

fickle
frivolous
freaky

frowns
at foolish
followers

faraar

matlaashi nazraiN
dar say jo takraiN
                            baar baar
dar o zanjeer zang aalood
magar yeh matlaashi nazraiN
liyay  rozan kay paar
aazaad fizaouN ki umang 
zarrat e rozan pe sawar
justujoo e azadi maiN
haiN koshaaN sada
poshida hay in maiN
ik oomang e sheh'r e arzoo
kay alfaaz, rooh o jis'm 
qaid e shish jehat maiN
sisakhtay na hoN jahaaN

nazraiN parvaaz kunaaN
yeh jaantay hu'aye bhee
faraar e aseeri e haal
                              nahiN 
ma'siway e faraib e tasawwur

the escape

eyes probing
bouncing off the doors
creaking hinges 
                   rusted bars

those probing eyes
dream of freedom
promised by the dust particles
filtering through the skylight

a never ending yearning 
for freedom
                 for a world
where dreams suffocate not
words, body or soul
in a six-directional prison

eyes darting 
knowing well
escape
(from the present)
is but an delusion
riding an illusion
in oblivion

mukalma

woh

tum sotay kyuN nahiN
kiya buhat khaa liya hay
tum boltay kyuN nahiN
kuch tou bolo, kuch to batlao
taizaab hazaf goliaN khaa lo
majnoon e eh'd e haazir lay lo
aur kuch nahiN
tou calcium say lub'raiz
doodh ka glass hee pee lo
sukoon milay ga
need aa jaa'aye'gi
youN laitay laitay
kya taktay rehtay ho
kuh'r kay jaalouN ko toR ker
sub'h namoodar hu'a chahti hay
aur phir az sar e nau
wohi gardish e nau-paanch
tum sotay kyuN nahiN
tum boltay kyuN nahiN

hum

kaisay samjhaouN
kis kis ko samjhaouN
nahiN hay
yeh bay-cheeni jis'm ki
kay hay yeh khalish e rooh
rooh jo na yahaaN ki hay
na wahaaN ki
yeh izterab e rooh
dushman hay neend ki

dialogue

she

why don't you sleep?

have you over-eaten?

why don't you talk?

say something, anything

take antacid

or some cure-all

a glass of milk perhaps

relaxed, sleep will drift in

what are you still staring at

dawn shall soon break

and then we succumb

to the carro-tussle of 9-5

why don't you sleep

why don't you talk?

he

how to explain

this unease 

is not in the body

it is ingrained 

in the soul

the troubled soul 

that belongs to 

no place

no time

no person

beh'r e haqeeqat i-iii

beh'r e haqeeqat i

such
un-mit
shish-jehat
pinhaaN
tujh maiN
mujh maiN

beh'r e haqeeqat ii

pus e atwar e zahiri
ik beh'r e la-mutnahi
pur-sukoon kabhi toofani
            beh'r e haqeeqat
chupa'aye raaz e zindagi
mauj, mohabbat, khalish
khamosh aah  dil
pur-shikwa chasm e butaaN
           aur talatum
tujh maiN
mujh maiN

beh'r e haqeeqat iii

fik'r e insaaN
gharq beh'r e haqeeqat
haasil e fik'r
ik mard e kaamil
aashna'aye haqeeqat e beh'r
aashna'aye beh'r e haqeeqat

beh'r e haqeeqat iii

beh'r e haqeeqat iii

fik'r e insaaN
gharq beh'r e haqeeqat
haasil e fik'r
ik mard e kaamil
aashna'aye haqeeqat e beh'r
aashna'aye beh'r e haqeeqat

beh'r e haqeeqat ii

beh'r e haqeeqat ii

pus e atwar e zahiri
ik beh'r e la-mutnahi
pur-sukoon kabhi toofani
            beh'r e haqeeqat
chupa'aye raaz e zindagi
mauj, mohabbat, khalish
khamosh aah  dil
pur-shikwa chasm e butaaN
           aur talatum
tujh maiN
mujh maiN

beh'r e haqeeqat i

beh'r e haqeeqat i

such
un-mit
shish-jehat
pinhaaN
tujh maiN
mujh maiN

nafratouN ka yeh bojh

nafratouN ka yeh bojh
kub talak humaiN youN
mehosoor rakhay ga aa
dost-dushman meray aa
meray galay lag ja 
kal na tu hoga na...