The Witching Hour

Quietly falls the night somewhere
Somewhere a morning loses its way
As footsteps grow distant slowly
And shadows leave for corners moons away


The wishing well has regurgitated its pennies
The mirror stands tall with a gash
The wishing bone has remained unbroken
The clover grows four leaves no more


The hearth is cold with the fire gone
The creaking door, stilled with silence
While sand has lain with the footmarks
And on the clock its witching hour forevermore

Nevertheless

The morbid me
Reckless, hopeless
The hopeless me
Clueless, restless
The restless me
In duress, baseless
The baseless me
Affectless, faceless
The faceless me
Nevertheless, limitless


June 2011

Aankh Zaar Zaar

Dasht'e tanhai aur aye jaane jahan
Hangama aarai bhi aur mehfil'e khubaan
Khumaar beqaraar, hasti bekhudd
Madhosh dhadhkan, haal behaal besudh
Gham'e doraan yahan, gham'e jaanan
Yahan gham'e hasti, gham'e dahar yahan
Jaam pe jaam uthein phir bohot
Aankh zaar zaar lutay behadd


May 2011

My Love Letters

The wind whispers, it smiles
In your ears and exhales
Its caress, the gentleness
Washing down your back.
The rain moulds itself
To you. It sings, consoles.
As your pores sing back.
The snow, the snow clings.
It lingers, quietly waiting
For your footmarks to cleave onto.
And the moon brings the dark
To look at you as it waits to join you
On the cool side of your pillow.
My love letters, from the wind
And the rain, the snow and moon.
My play mates, my soul mates
My shadow and my light.




(Written in Ikkyu's company.......

Every day, priests minutely examine the Law
And endlessly chant complicated sutras.
Before doing that, though, they should learn
How to read the love letters sent by the wind
and rain, the snow and moon.)

So The Story Goes

There may be the sound of a thousand songs
Colours of infinite rainbows around
The comfort of a hundred eiderdowns
The luxury of endless lace gowns


But if love be gone from filled up spaces
If the caress is warm no more
The song is mute, the colour blind
The comforter cold, the lace dull


Hold not what rents on touch
Choke not what breathes on air
Mark not its spotlessness
Trim not its exuberance


If doubt be there, love walks
If the heart stumbles, love walks
If you know me not, love walks
If you release it not, love walks


Dance close but hold not tight
Stay beside but clutch not tight
Read the unread just meant for you
Hear the unsaid just said for you


Let it move, let it sway, let it live
Beyond time, for it asks not for time
Beyond space for it asks not for a place
Let it breathe for it asks not to bind


Not caged, chained, trapped, set it free!
Not blinded, scorched, scarred, set it free.
It is yours all the more if it sings high
It is yours all the more if it glows

The Tease

Ripe out of fate's sharing box, like clockwork
You get a piece of bad news a year
Sometimes you may get two
Like a tease, the One above meticulously
Dishes out pain intense, satiated
You can take no more; till next year.


April 2011

For I Know Me

I lose myself in moments of joy
I return in times of sorrow
I close not the door to grief
Or tribulation; for I know me
From the heat of my tears.
I know me through my heartbreak.



April 2011

When all I crave

Oh to have the full moon on my palm
Some rarefied polished amber, a secluded coral sanctuary
And the flower that blooms every three thousand years
Or a butterfly cove, a ride on fluffed clouds


The Fabergé egg, or an Aztec coin
Or a Raphael tapestry, a Mauryan map
Perhaps The handwritten copy of Henry viii's Green Sleeves
And the Babylonian clay tablet, the first map of the world


But how can I ask, how can I want and crave
When all I crave, all I crave is to talk to your eyes
Feel the caress of your smile and wait for the moment
When you turn around to look and inhale my soul


April 2011

Baatein hain sab baatein hain

Baatein hain sab baatein hain
Bas baatein khaali baatien hain
Ghannchakkar hai, iztiraab hai
Bhanwar, raige-rawaan, girdaab hai


Aur duur falak ke paar moalaq
Aik aas, ehsaas, intizaar hai
Khwabeeda palkon mein uljha sapna,
Jaagte din mein idraak hai


April 2011

She ought to smell

She ought to smell like angels do
Like a snowflake on a rose
Sun warm sea-spray on bare skin
An earthy fruit-laden vineyard
Sandalwood on fire

She smells like a lost embrace
Crushed moss on a patio stone
Dead flowers, day after the wedding
She smells like broken laughter
And of love never heard of

Attakk gayi hoon

Attakk gayi hoon
Ilfaz aur izhaar ke beech
Phanns gayi hoon
Soch aur bayan ke beech
Ik phaans hai
Ik jaal hai
Girdaab hai
Meray aur sab ke beech

No, I do not miss

No, I do not miss the people gone
I carry on, dont I.
Just the heart has some chambers missing
And the head has gone awol
The trunk lost a few rather very many branches
And a few dents, scratches showed up on the hull
The dazzle that was here, and the song
Gone too as the darkness came and the dull
The wind it wails, as it comes and goes
Thinking it is filling a void
The rain it falls, as it slips and holds
Thinking it can hole in
And I am here holding court
Perfecting the art of living

Faani

Chuhdd muhdd kaghaz ke pannay
Phaink chuki thi mein
Dhajji kapde, dhundli tasveerien
Gharq kar aaee thi mein
Maan liya tha, mein kuch bhi nahi


Mitta par phir na mitta
Suragh apna, apna ehsaas
Shinakth apni, apni zaat
Hoon faani yeh gumaan
Maan aayee thi main

Ab Dard Akela Nahi

Ab dard akela nahi

Tanhai nahi, siyyahi nahi

Aik duniya hai sangg

Aik tamasha hain hum

Ab mehfil hai, rangeeni hai

Ab dard akela nahi

Yeh Waqt Bhi Guzar Jaega

Yeh waqt bhi guzar jaega
Mausam bhi badal jaega
Socha tha kabhi aisa bhi
Sochte hain abhi aise hi
Rang roop nikhar jaega
Boodobaash mehek jaegi
Maana tha kabhi aisa bhi
Maana hai abhi aise hi
Sakoone dil, asoodgi'e jan
Karm'o ilfaat, chaen, aaraam
Yeh raah dekh legi
Aata hai khayal kabhi yeh bhi

You Want A Book?

You want a book?
You want a book on Psychology
One on Theology, Philosophy
Literature, Archaeology perhaps?

A discourse on the mind
Human spirit, faith, creativity
Existentialism, History
Quite a rainbow in kind

See that man, see that pain?
The demons he keeps at bay
Hounded by misgivings
The terrors he flays

And that woman who waits
Like patience through seasons
Endless, monotonous tempers
With courage straight-spined

The child whose questions make you afraid
With an openness that fells you apart
Along with your identity, reason, intellect
The letters after your name

Look around you, look at them, take your pick
Spoilt for choice, the sea around you
Inhale the smell, feel the paper
Your well-bound, complete works of life

All In One Day

Many moments, many shades, many moods
A serene, light-hearted, calm-radiating sunrise
An instant dip and then, the dark descending cloud
And despair; hard, wet, frozen

Hope kindling like the bright midday sun
Suddenly effusive, suddenly effervescent
Hope dashing low like thunder gust
Suddenly drenched, sodden, deluged

Reproofs raining while day goes to dusk
Defiance glowing in golden streaks
And disconsolation knitting the heart
As darkness descends low

The night now beckons, soft like hope.
Looking for my pillow, my malleable port
The comfort of the intimate dip in my bed
My solacium payment, my consolation prize

Woh jo.....

Woh jo sunn lete hain aahat meri
Dabbe paaon aati dhadhkan bhi
Woh jo choo lete hain soch meri
Lipti khwahish, simti nigah meri

Nahi bandish, tera khayal jo ho
Nahi intiha, tera saath jo ho
Na kinara koi, na hadd na simat
Na anjaam, ikhtitaam, teri baat jo ho

Jo roz guzarta hai

Puraane darwaaze ka kiwaad
Adh khula dekh kar aik jhonka
Kuch dhool udda gaya
Unn aankhon mein
Jo aagey hi khusk hochuki hain
Aur khuli khirki ke jharoke se lipti hawa
Pehle se bikhri zulfon ko
Kuch aur uljha gayee
Khaali aankhein, bikhre gaisoo
Khushk hont, saakit nigah
Aur intizaar jo roz guzarta hai
Puraane darwaaze ke udd khule kiwaadon se
Aur intizaar jo roz milta hai
Khuli khirki ke toote jharokon se

My barefoot need

My barefoot need
And my coated want
Intermingle
Play hide and seek
While my hooded eyes
And my naked smile
Communicate in Morse code

(Mar 2011)

Collateral damage

Little boy, fat man dropped, mushroom clouds
A war won, cities of death, collateral damage
Successful deals, firm handshakes, Swiss bank accounts
Oil boom, ozone depletion, collateral damage
Big smiles, flashing cameras, bombastic speeches
Divided borders, families lost, collateral damage
Chinese whispers, sectarian clashes, blood overflow
Political clout, broken society, collateral damage
Karo kari, honour killing, Haq bakhshish
Love less, child less, collateral damage
Stove burst, acid attack, Vani
Male pride, female humility, collateral damage
Sweet words, honeyed eyes, defection
Deception, destroyed faith, collateral damage
Words of love, promises, affirmation
Lost honour, broken heart, collateral damage

(Feb 2011)

Aik taar

Aik taar dikkha tau hai yahan
Thoda uljha, thoda simta
Kuch baikal, kuch dabbka sa
Dekho tau phisal, jhijak jaye
Chuo tau lippat, simmat jaye
Halka, maheen, kirnon jaisa
Shafaaf, mulayam hawaoon jaisa
Narm, garam muskurahaton sa
Hai par kuch zabt lohe jaisi
Aatish ki tapish, chamak sholey si
Hai par kuch saddiyon ki kashish
Pehchaan barson ki
Unsiiyat lambi umron si
Apna se milan, wasal janmon sa
Dhadhkan manoos, saans hamraaz si
Keh hai aik taar, aik taar hai tau yahin

(Feb 2011)

Death...still

There is the sudden death
Under fire, under siege
Shrieks, gunshots
Running footsteps
Gashes and wounds
Then there is the ongoing death
Constant, lingering
Slow, forever
Day after day
Time after time
For you, for me
For all of ours and more

(Feb 2011)

The Reprieve

Sing me a lullaby, steal me a dream
Build me a fantasy with tinsel and glittery seams
There is plenty to say, plenty to declare
Pronounce, utter, declaim
Announce, shout and refrain
No I'm not asking for promises
I'm not asking for a bond
But a reprieve that holds off the chainsaws
The serrating blades, the gut-wrenching screams
So shower me with sparklers and the bright twinklers
The shimmer, the confetti, the neon prismatic centrepieces
The garlands, party poppers, some icing, some champagne
Mind-numbing music, heart-stopping strain
Notes breathing sadness, as a banshee sighs at the end of a keen

(Feb 2011)

For you are the vein

What's said is yours
What's unsaid is also yours
When have I ever needed to
Speak or not speak
Reveal or conceal
Whisper or shout with zeal
For you are the word,
The meaning, the syntax
The echo, the refrain
The rhyme, the quatrain
For you are the vein
All that of me remains

(Jan 2011)

Pal pal

Pal pal har pal behta hai rait ki manind
Pal pal duur jaise jaate ho tum
Pal pal har pal silti hai ruuh
Dhadhkan main phir se aa liptay ho tum
Rookhi khushk lakeeron mein basste basste
Jaane kab aankh ke geelepan mein uttar aaye ho tum


Aur pal ab tau kabhi wehshat ban kar
Dekhte hain tamasha jaise ho tum
Odh ke niqaab bebasi ka
Raag majboori ka alaapte ho tum
Ghadiyon mein holey holey beet jaane ka
Andaz tau khoob jaante ho tum

(Jan 2011)

The pool and the waterfall

Limpid, lush and languid
A verdant pond under a green canopy
Robed in long swaying fronds, carrying
Tiny ripples that ruffle its serene brow
Hiding the depth, the turbulence, the heart
The storms, the heat, the fire, the ever watchful Eye.



And the waterfall
Majestic, masculine, magnificent
Its quiet strength falling far, far away
With a steady, rhythmic, mellifluous beat.
Falling onto cold, unforgiving, unresponsive stones
Draping them with its power, its essence, its being, its pure soul



The pond waits while the waterfall falls away.
Waits for the waterfall's long, overdue change of course
The pond sees the waterfall's spray in the air far away
The pond feels the waterfall's touch on unmovable rocks
The pond listens to the waterfalls heartbeat being carried away
It knows the waterfall's combustible, constant, haunting disquiet



The course will not change, the waiting will go on
Drawn as they are in parallel lines
Dance as they do in different spheres
Names writ in water, living on different sides of the border
Like chalk and cheese or is it like oil and water?
Only yet too well fused, intertwined, connected!

(Nov 2010)

Our eternity

You step away
I expand to hold you
You edge closer
I wound up tight inside
Moving in circles
Moving in dreams
Moving in and out
In our eternity

(Oct 2010)

Tumhara kuch bhi kho nahi sakta

Tumhara kuch bhi kho nahi sakta
Kaaghaz pe likhe lafz mitaate hain
Tau hawa mein tehleel milte hain
Labon mein baatein dabaate hain
Tau dhadhkanon mein jazb milti hain


Aansuon ko jo ponchte hain
Tau ruuh geeli milti hai
Nazar chura ke jaate hain
Tau khwabon mein bassi milti hai
Tumhara kuch bhi kho nahi sakta


Yaadein jo ukhaadhna chahain gay
Khwahishon mein bas jaoge tum
Aahatein jo na sun'na chahein gay
Haath thaam loge tum
Tumhara kuch bhi kho nahi sakta

(Oct 2010)

I see you

I follow the stardust trail left behind
Coursing through tears
Hanging on smiles
Jumping through memories
Walking on lashes
Landing on dreams
I find you
I see you

(Sep 2010)

Naamm Tera

Bandd mutthi mein rett ke zarray
Mutthi kholo tau ab bhi bolte hain naam tera
Phailao tau banate hain naam tera
Beh jain tau pukarte hain naam tera


Jo aankh mein padein tau dekh lete hain
Aansuon mein dooba naam tera
Chubhte hain leke naam tera
Behte hain tau leke naam tera


Kabhi phir se bana baithoon jo gharonda
Leher laijaati hai padh ke naam tera
Kehti hai haqq hai uspe jo hai naam tera
Meri aankhon se jo bahi thi woh leke naam tera

(Sep 2010)

To All Intents And Purposes

You left that patch of light
On a piece of earth for me
As my food, as my heart
My being, my existence
And you took all of me
My heart, life, soul
For you to keep going on


How did that help you? It didn't.
I still live, I still love
With my arms spread out
With my heart enclosing all
And I see you coming back
To take more and more
More and more of me


There is more of me still
The heart that lives on
Seemingly without a beat
The soul that carries on
Presumably without light
I keep going on
To all intents and purposes

(Sep 2010)

Garr jhijhko tau

Udh'de dhaagon se libas, too'te deep se roshni nahi nikalti
Toote phoolon se maala, phatte pannon se kitaab nahi banti


Aadhe lafzon se baat, band aankhon se nazar nahi milti
Khushk honton se muskurahat, khamosh dil se dhadhkan nahi bann'ti


Doobe saye se dhoop nahi hat'ti, ruke kadmon mein saath nahi hota
Ruuh jab dil ka saath na de tau, dil mein jaan kab, kahan hai hoti


Na ho hasrat tau koi yaas, intizaar nahi hota
Garr jhijhko tau pyaar, dil mein chahh nahi hoti

(Aug 2010)