the beggar woman's eyes

the beggar woman's eyes

i have looked into many an eye

innocent, inviting, infatuating

dismissive, steely, transfixed

but her eyes
had an odd magnetism

dull, weathered  

eyes that have seen it all

once you lock eyes 

there is no escape

elusive shangri la

elusive shangri la

life is to be lived

an opportunity

not extended to all

existential dilemma 

for economists

benign and tinpot rulers

down the millennia

as men and women

come and go

soccer dad

 soccer dad

on the field

the young child

missed the target

the father consoled 

the crestfallen child

off the field

the father forlorn

lost in syllogism

evoking missed targets

real unreal

 real unreal

under the spotlight in the corner

the dieffenbachia with shiny leaves

and on the wall three wooden frames

with florid pictures of houseplants

masks

 masks

life and living would be simpler if we could see what is behind the everyday faces we see reality exposed for once finding true love

SantiagoArt

@SantiagoArtis

· 54m

Cesare Sofianopulo Masks (1930)

faani

 

faani

wajood mo'aiy'yoon hay

munsalik wajood say

teri meri jaan hay

tughiani e andesha

istifsaar kerti hay

jan tou aani jaani hay

mawra e wajood e faani hay

phir yeh khalish kaisi

respite

respite

longing to drown

in the honeycomb

of the inner self

avoiding the (blazing) sun

has to be wrestled

mohlat

mohlat

ujalay ki haqeeqatoN say

amaan chahtay hu'aye

aao ghar'q ho jaiN

ghaar e daroouN ki tareekion maiN

kay abhee shayad muhlat baaqi hay

suffering

suffering thirst hunger cold deprivation discrimination disenfranchisement what do you know of suffering? go to an abattoir look into the choiceless eyes 

of a goat, sheep or cow 

blowing ...

 blowing ...

ingrained
folks blow horns
wittingly, or ...
some touting ambition
others defunct dogmas

and many

turn a deaf ear

suni sunaee

 suni sunaee

baray neend suna hay

her jagah aati hay 

yeh suni sunaee 

baatouN ko kaun sunay

najat

najat 

in zanjeerouN say jo pehnaee hay

mauj e hawadis nay sadiouN say

rozan say girtay hu'aye yeh zarrat

ik din zaroor najat dilaiNgay

talaash ii (revised)

 talaash ii (revised)

zeh'n kay jangaloN maiN
zaat kay sehraoN maiN 
t'ri ankhioN ki jheel maiN
ghota zun dhooNdta hooN 
saleeb ko, pyalay ko

ab tou yeh aalam hay 
her rah chaltay shaksh ki 
aankhoN maiN dhoondta hooN 
khud ko ...

talaash i (revised)

talaash i (revised)

zeh'n kay jangal, zaat kay sehra maiN
aur teri aankhON ki jheel maiN hay
talash kisi go'om gushta such ki 
jo saleeb per saidouN pehlay
chaRha diya tha, ya jis nay
khushi say zeh'r pee liya tha
jaanta hooN yeh sub, khalish laikin
muztarib rakhti hay mujhay

my short interpretation

 my short interpretation

smile  when you wake up be good to your self a prelude to be good to others and when you sleep pray for a smile when you wake up

The Valuable Time of Maturity by Mário de Andrade

of inconsequential consequences

 of  inconsequential  consequences

in consequence

adam

eve

snake

apple

earth

this earth

intended?

unintended?

in consequence?

inconsequential

talaash ii

talaash ii

paida hotay hee zaalimoN nay
saleeb per chaRha diya thaa 
kya a'jub jo zeh'n kay jangaloN maiN
zaat kay sehraouN maiN go'om
teri ankhiouN ki jheel maiN ghar'q
khood ko najanay kyuN dhooNdta hooN
aur ab tou yeh aalam hay kay
her rah chaltay ki aankhouN maiN
janay kis kis ko dhoondta hooN...

talaash i

talaash i

zeh'n kay jangal maiN
zaat kay sehra maiN
aur t'ri numnaak 

aankhoN ki jheel maiN
kis such ki talaash hay
paida hotay hee Oosnay
saleeb per chaRha dya, phir
sar e rah youN her aankh maiN
kis such ki talaash hay

peer e tasma paa

peer e tasma paa

haath ya dil?
             haath ho
             dil ho
saza dil waloN kay
             jis'm ko
dimaagh walon ki
             rooh ko

milti yaheeN hay

ger buchch ga'aye
munkir nakir tou haiN
peer e tasma paa

mother nature

mother nature

mother nature 
winces, smiles
when the tears
crawl north
seizing plains, mountains
their final revenge
an apocalyptic battle
an aqueous peace
....
adam and eve, reborn
prophets, books, the usual
followed by dissenters
and another great flood

whispers

 whispers

mrs. havisham would not know
about whispering inanities

in these eclectic days keypads 

supersede human interaction  

cocoon

 cocoon

storms ravage
winds whirl              
          physical
          metaphysical
all around us

picking a flicker
from past millennia
only a thousand years young
          deluding 

we're the chosen ones

refuse to emerge

         from our cocoons

let us hear it for the trees!

 let us hear it for the trees! @sheilabenson

cyperus papyrus and kin papyrus hadidi would love and enjoy the irony of eulogies written about them on paper

Sheila Benson @sheilabenson

Let's hear it for trees !

do clouds have feelings

 do clouds have feelings?

if not, why do they cry

                 cats and dogs

(do cats and dogs have feelings?

dogs do, cats are cagey)

why does everyone 

beneath, joins the clouds 

                 crying?

the mute beggar outside dolman mall

 the mute beggar outside dolman mall

the wrinkles on her face

a veritable topography

the forehead saharan dunes

side of left eye the great lakes

the right dunes of rab al khali

the cleft tectonic fissures

neck coppadacia

toothless smile compassionate

eyes penetrating

 tears 

the live pearls

have no faith

religion

ideology

caste or creed

pearls

motherhood value

shared universally

please

inform the uninformed

while i gather mine

zabani jama kharch

zabani jama kharch

baat tou app bhee theek kertay haiN

baat tou woh bhee theek kertay haiN

baat tou hum bhee theek kertay haiN

baatouN ki maujoN kay beech maiN

yeh naazuk dil  hay kyuN larzaaN

gustakhi

 gustakhi

sud afsos
yeh poochnay per
jur'm kaunsa akbar hay
gustakhi e rasool
          ya
gustakhi e elahi
         sur ooska
kardiya tun say juda
in khood sakhta
mominouN nay

ka'aba

hay jo tu

shish jehat

phir yeh ghar

kyuN hay?

writing in times of covid

writing in times of covid

'once upon a time...'

'it was a dark cold night...'

'in those days...'

abandoned and replaced by

'once upon a pre-covid time...'

'in the golden pre-covid days,,,'

'it was a dark pre-covid night...'

brume

brume waiting for the fog to lift not the smog on the highway nor the bigot's effluvium or the mist in glazed eyes we debated fog, haze, mist long into the evening finally settling on smoke that had so permeated the walls of the saloon then she said goodbye and left

fondness or love

 fondness or love

lifetime confinement

         the punishment

         for capturing 

that captivating smile

ish'q ya shauq

 ish'q ya shauq

saza

     qaid e tanhaee

oos

    muskurahat

ka hisaar

milking

 milking

that picture that picture placed strategically on the coffee table on the wall tiresome blatant milking by undeserving opportunists

waadah / promise

waadah waadah hee kyun kya ja'aye jo hum wafa na kar sakhaiN waadoun ka himala banay ta dunya humaiN jaan ja'aye promise why make promises that we do not keep? K-2 of promises to warn the universe

revenge is sweet...

 revenge is sweet...

venge - why? for whom? for what? unavenged – murmur, silence vengeful – smile, ignore unvengeful –killer smile (again) vengefully – insults galore, top decibel vengefulness – blood, splitting atoms, fission would go for vengeful and sleep fitfully

Sheila Benson @sheilabenson

Revenge will be sweet ...

intezar aur milaap

rajennair @rajennair

When I stepped out of my building I saw this dog waiting to greet me Follow my Instagram for Mumbai street photography instagram.com/p/CKad1mwjW7_/… #dogsoftwitter #photography

 intezar aur milaap

kabhi kisi shokh ka tarouN ki chahouN maiN intezar aur milna dehleez per kuttay ka mukhtalif mulaqat donouN haiN dil nasheen