jahannum

jahannum

halaat e hazira per
jub jaati hay nazar
aata nahiN yaqeen
kay jahannum
baad mer'g milay gi

the many faces of smiles ii

 the many faces of smiles ii

(concluding)

the politician's smile
machiavellian and condescending
of all the many faces of smile
the only true smiles
are the ones
playing on the lips
of the recently deceased
and on the infant's lips

the many faces of smiles part i

 the many faces of smiles i

the beloved's smile
     wondering, anticipating
the loan shark's smile
     greedy and knowing
the fake preacher's smile
     aware of victim's gullibility
the newspaper boy's and
the dumb child beggar's
     pleading, cajoling

(to be continued)

phobias galore

phobias galore

nafratouN kay sailaab maiN
ger ummeed ka ik tinka
ik tamtamata diya
bhee ger milja'aye
tou ,,,

checkmate

checkmate

in this chess game
we moved
or were moved
pawn we were
at times though
we moved like a knight
or a rook or bishop
but in the end
pawn we remained and
were always checkmated

kal

kal

kal ki souch maiN
hu'aye itnay m'gun
kay kub kal aaj hu'a
aur aaj dhul ker
kal hu'a
          is baat ka
ehsaas bhee na hu'a

ta'aqoob

ta'aqoob

zung aalood
su'too'noN per
likhay aahdaaf
jo baa'resh buzurgh
sada dilouN per
sab't kertay haiN
saraabouN kay
ta'aqoob maiN

the pursuit

the pursuit

unending pursuits
of programmed goals
shoved down
plebeian throats
knowing not
they are pieces
chasing mirages

the elephant in the room

the elephant in the room

(responding to @dL70)

iqbal
mashriqi
jinnah
madani
maudoodi
well, well
it is islam
misinterpreted
played
used
and here we are
terminally infected

of fervor and fever

of fervor and fever

dengue, typhoid
covid-19
fever
goes up
and with treatment
comes down
religious fever
goes up and up
and self destructs

daastaan e azli

daastaan e azli

aa'aye
chalay
rukay
aur chalay ga'aye
lo huee youN mukammal
yeh daastaan e azli

the space in between

the space in between

the space in between
~land and DHA
~mangrove and sea
~desert and river
~elite and the unwashed
~mullahs and followers
~you and me
none matters
as the space between ears
if not nurtured
leads to cacophony

#tpoem
more at:
baithuk.wordpress.com

@ideedumz
the space in  between

what good is reading?

 what good is reading?

knowledge

if not 

fermented

regurgitated

reformatted

and assimilated

in daily acts

is wasted

and the trees

remain inconsolable

dee

@ideedumz

so much to read so much unread

respect

respect

respect  words
respect books
don't throw
books at trees
knowledge flows
from trees

looking into a broken mirror

looking into a broken mirror

this world
under world
nether world
unjust world
    yeh duniya
    woh duniya
    aapki. na humari
claimed by few
neglected by many

of the sun and the moon

of the sun and the moon

there are two of them

   the sun and the moon

   one for the day

   one for the night

the other sun and moon

ar Nadia's sun and moon

they will miss her

day and night

https://www.concordia.ca/cunews/offices/advancement/2021/10/06/she-was-a-force-of-nature-nadia-chaudhri-1978-2021-passes-away.html?c=/news/concordia-remembers

la - no

 

la  -  no

what began as a negation
culminated in an affirmation
    of faith and oneness
obscured by time
and clergy led dogma
here we are oscillating
but don't share this
if you do, you are on your own

#tpoem
more at:
baithuk.wordpress.com

nawwab and i: heavyweight fight

nawwab and i: heavyweight fight

t: which do you prefer N...
N: woof woof
t: ...between faith and dogma?
N: that is for you. we have no need for either.
t: so dogs have no need for faith or dogma?
N: another reason why we are superior.
t: i suspected that...
N: you must be torn.
t: yes am torn. both pull in their direction
N: your faith will win
t: you think so?
N: yes. dogma follows faith.

#nawwabandi

keyboard warriors

keyboard warriors

lost in space
we have become
keyboard warriors
communicating, cajoling
persuading, pontificating
round the clock
and then wham
the system malfunctions
and we become
keyboard prisoners

dear zeus

dear zeus

just FYI dear zeus
none of my friends
acquaintances and enemies
real or perceived
made the box
for that
i thank you

stomping on high heels

stomping on high heels

wrote a friend
stomping on high heels
to get her way
is fast becoming her approach

oh dear
what happened to those times
when a slight nudge
a barely audible sigh
a subtle smile
a certain look
would do the trick?

#tpoem
more at:
baithuk.wordpress.com

________________

WolfMomma

@wolfmomz

Mini tantrum in co-op bank is fast becoming my trademark

another today

another today

tomorrow
today will return
with the same
or greater intensity
we will read rumi
and ghalib
drink chai
or forbidden juices
curse the climate
and wait for the day
to disappear

darmiana ravi

darmiana ravi

oodher al qaeda
idhar al faeda
darmian donouN kay
aap, hum aur awaam
jo haiN na idhar kay
na oodhar kay
bhughat rahay haiN
saza goya
darmiana ravi ki

bujhiyay

bujhiyay

pehlay aati thee buhat
ab aati hay kabhi kabhar
aur jaldi maiN hoti hay buhat



t  — September 30 will be the first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation in Canadian history. 

shauq

shauq

b'ghaire
talaash
aur joostujoo
zindagi
bay maani
bay sood
darya maiN behtay
tinkay ki manind

hope

hope

fences
gates
walls
border
physical
metaphysical
fail to harness
the indomitable
human spirit
it lights up
the flickering flame
of hope 

undecided

undecided

at the intersection
of hope and despair
of faith and disbelief
of entitlement and denial
wish could ask robert frost
for directions

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44272/the-road-not-taken

the living, the living dead and the ghosts

the living, the living dead and the ghosts

sparkling eyes
zest for living
   in simple folks

          and then
focused on the horizon
dead, dull, dark eyes
they may as well be
the walking dead
past their prime
in haunted habitats

Sheila Benson

@sheilabenson

I,too, live amongst ghosts ... My world is a haunted world ...

folded dreams

folded dreams

in the aftermath of the hurricane
i searched the debris
found most of my dreams
folded and placed them
reverently in the knapsack
         for the next tempest

hato, maaf karo

hato, maaf karo*

as we entered the eatery off zamzama
this child in rags, squatting in a corner
looked up with vacant eyes
'hato, maaf karo' a conditioned response

(if you give money to one beggar
swarms would appear from nowhere)

after an evening of fun and laughter
as we were leaving
saw the same juvenile
the same corner, the same poise
had a tough time
stifling the pavlovian response

turning pages, switching channels

turning pages, switching channels

facing the same landscape
of rivers, mountains
facts, fiction and faction
in dazzling garbs
dazed and bulldozed
till restless sleep
claims its victim

nawwab and i: deep thoughts

nawwab and i: deep thoughts

N: hibernating?
t: pause
N: pause?
t: sabbatical
N:from?
t: breathing
N:enough
t: enough?
N: enough deep thoughts
t: k
N:where have you been?
t: wondering and wandering
N:chasing shadows
t: beats chasing cars
N:searching bushes
t: no, just the vibes
N: what did you hear? 
t: cacophony of horns
N: you are nasty. woof woof.
t: no, mean
N: that too. ok peace pipe?
t: will you smoke?
N: you are incorrigible
t: (shrug)

#nawwabandi

of gods and goddess

of gods and goddess

gold?
green?
saffron?
white?
black?
seen?
unseen?
his?
hers?

chalay ga
her khuda 
her bhagwan
chalay ga

b'shert yeh
ka woh 
pyar ki devi
ka ho parastar bhee

any of the gods
will work
provided they follow 
the goddess of love

rendezvous

rendezvous

tomorrow
will be another today
where today
will be yesterday
and we will meet
to drown the sorrows
except they do not drown
          nor float

haqiqat e haal

haqiqat e haal

kahaaN ka 'ishq'
kaisa pyar
kasb e ma'ash
kasb e haal
say aazad hoN
tou ghore karaiN

betrayal

 betrayal

betrayal
the ointment
makes real men
mature and mellow
immature men
puerile, jejune

nirvana

nirvana

when the world conspires
you are insentient
oblivious
          in all dimensions
drowning in doubts
numbness overwhelms
nirvana  is no peace
         or place

an apple falls

an apple falls 

an apple falls
'…RAW footprints'
'…ISI fingerprints'
'...MOSSAD footsteps'
'…Al Qaeda handiwork
          Newton smiles

to live and live again

to live and live again

a cat has nine lives
we have two
a lifetime spent
chasing the other

dunya e islam

dunya e islam

 aaj

          such
sharminda hay
baat yeh such hay
aur izhar iska
zaroori hay

the game of percentages

 the game of percentages

for the one percent
the four seasons
are the best of times
for the rest
          year round
it is the worst of times

you know nothing

you know nothing

the nine year old
on being grounded
said, 'you know nothing'

upon reflection
truer words never rang
not knowing
was a catalyst
          learned
learning is bottomless