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...

gul kardo i-iv

gul kardo i

sharqi tehzeeb
gharbi san'at
musjid, maikadah
mahal, khanqah
                  ta'lub 
sanad kay pyasoN ki
gul kardo, gul kardo

gul kardo ii

yeh roshni kahaaN
hay ujalay ka faraib
taa'ss'oob ka pardah
ehsaas ka dhoka
gul kardo, gul kardo

gul kardo iii

a'jub ujala hay is roshni ka

her sheh per hay sab't qeemat

ma'saway haq per...

gul kardo, gul kardo

gul kardo iv

gul kardo, gul kardo

chaa ja'aye her sheh per

tariki yaksaniyat say

aur niklay phir ik kiran

justujoo e haq ki

sada jo banay hum raq's

gul kardo iv

gul kardo, gul kardo
chaa ja'aye her sheh per
tariki yaksaniyat say
aur niklay phir ik kiran
justujoo e haq ki
sada jo banay hum raq's

gul kardo iii

a'jub ujala hay is roshni ka
her sheh per hay sab't qeemat
ma'saway haq per...
gul kardo, gul kardo

gul kardo ii

yeh roshni kahaaN
hay ujalay ka faraib
taa'ss'oob ka pardah
ehsaas ka dhoka
gul kardo, gul kardo

gul kardo i

sharqi tehzeeb

gharbi san'at

musjid, maikadah

mahal, khanqah

                  ta'lub 

sanad kay pyasoN ki

gul kardo, gul kardo

unfinished journey

wheels revolve
            faster and faster
landscape changes
            stops come and go
from windscreen 
            to rear view mirror
                         to oblivion
the destination
elusive as ever

even keel

dreams
sub for
escape
        self delusion
for even keel

safar e na mukammil

saf'r e na mukammil
pahiouN ki gardish
badaltay kinaray
dhundh ya kabhi baarish
n'janay manzil kyuN
khailti hay aank micholi

ardor i-iv

ardor i

eyes coruscating
hands gesticulating
brouhaha over 
mast snapping words
hurled with frenzy

ardor ii

kya tum ab bhee humaiN 
waisay hee chahtay ho?


do you still love me
with the same fervor?
words implode with whims
shaken, un-stirred

ardor iii

eyes coruscating
hands gesticulating
brouhaha over
mast snapping words
hurled with frenzy

jazbaat ki aa'maizish kay saath
kaisa hay yeh ehsaas e dar'd 

ardor iv

with passion aroused
caresses followed
one fell into calm sleep
the other stayed awake
till the birds chirped

ardor iv

with passion aroused
caresses followed
one fell into calm sleep
the other stayed awake
till the birds chirped

ardor iii

eyes coruscating
hands gesticulating
brouhaha over 
mast snapping words
hurled with frenzy

jazbaat ki aa'maizish kay saath
kaisa hay yeh ehsaas e dar'd 

ardor ii

kya tum ab bhee humaiN 
waisay hee chahtay ho?


do you still love me
with the same fervor?
words implode with whims
shaken, un-stirred

ardor i

eyes coruscating
hands gesticulating
brouhaha over 
mast snapping words
hurled with frenzy

human woes

with prajna*
gathered over millennia
we should be prepared 
to deal with nature 
but we do not learn 
even from the ant
such are our woes

* pure and unqualified knowledge

perpetual

soul
      and words
perpetual
      i
temporal