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

senseless

senseless

fifty shades..
military-industrial-complex
salafi takfiri axis
new american century
american enterprise institute
al qaeda
twin towers
afghanistan, iraq
somalia
libya, syria
isis
civilian death
turmoil
instability
incongruous

unintended consequences

unintended consequences

drone on a wedding party
taleban citing sharia
madaris imparting education
west's benevolence
white men's burden
enlightened moderation
painless death
my conundrum 
neither intended
nor unintended
just enigmatic

kal aur aaj: yesterday and today

 kal aur aaj

teri muskurahat, aaj
itni pu'r shikan kyuN hay

yesterday and today

why is your smile
so wrinkled today?

fake news

fake news

so much fake news
floating around
unless i attend
the funeral ceremony
with an open casket...

fake news

a'jub waq't 

aan paRa hay
tadfeen kay waq't
ger deedar na ho
tou....

single national curriculum

single national curriculum

do they know?
do they care?
who devotedly follows 

the single curriculum?
and what it breeds?
ask the the brave afghan women

Azita Ghanizada

@AzitaGhanizada

https://twitter.com/i/status/1435262553135861760

mujhay jung pasand hay

mujhay jung pasand hay

mujhay jung pasand hay
          maaf kijiaye
golioun aur bum wali nahiN

mujhay jung pasand hay
          ger ho
mausamyati tabdeeli
maholi aaloodgi
nakhuwandgi
ad'm e bardasht
baRhti  aabadi
          kay khilaaf

carved on paper or canvas

carved on paper or canvas

yes
smiles, smirks. silences
communicate  -  briefly
verbal communication

- temporary and in person

yes
smiles, smirks. and silences
carved on paper or canvas
remains ever lasting

wordsmiths and artists
    with strokes
mona lisa, guernica,
the last supper, the scream
the ten commandments
the 'book'
ghalib, shakespeare

carved on paper or canvas
remains more enduring

_______________________________

Sharmeen

@SharmeenTarar

Replying to @azeemax @temporal3

90% of Human communication is through facial expressions, tones of voice & gestures,isliey gham na karein , kuchh to samajhney waley keliey bhi hona chahiey

8:26am · 5 Sep 2021 · Twitter for iPhone

the dearth of the able persons

the dearth of the able persons

if the reason for fame
is throne or heritage
sans mind and heart
then should they not
abdicate and
wander the desert
wish i could
tell this to the faces
of these caligulas

qehat ur rejaal

wajah e shuhrat
ger ho takht o taj
b'juz dil o dimagh
tou behtar hay
sehra-navardi
mushkil yeh hay
kaisay samjhaiN
in caligulaouN ko

is happiness subversive?

 is happiness subversive?

is happiness subversive
for the child in ratnagiri*
playing with a three wheeled tonka
it is ephemeral
will he go hungry again?

based on consumerism
it can be fleeing or fleeting

for this vagamian**
contentment reigns supreme

* timeless: ratnagiri upon badin
**vegabond + bohemian

#tpoem

Sheila Benson

@sheilabenson

·

2h

"Happiness" can be subversive ...

quhat ur rejaal

qehat ur rejaal

wajah e shuhrat
ger ho takht o taj
b'juz dil o dimagh
tou behtar hay
sehra-navardi
mushkil yeh hay
kaisay samjhaiN
in caligulaouN ko

canvas: ptsd

 canvas: ptsd

one stroke at a time
neck
shoulders
torso
limbs
face
expression
smiles
exuberance


from far away nevada 
a young american
maneuvers the missile

from the blue yonder
rains death destroying
the smiles 
obliterated
this canvas 
of life
blank again

Yalda Hakim

@BBCYaldaHakim

The children killed in today's US drone strike #Kabul #Afghanistan - in total seven children, the youngest two.

5:10 PM · Aug 30, 2021·Twitter for Android