~ Uski Ankhen ~

~ Uski Ankhen ~

Darwaaze ki aut main chipkar maine usko dekha tha,

Mitti si sondhi bhoori ankhen uski mujhko rok rahi thin,

Nam, gham sii bhaari, kuch bol rahi thin,

Pabndiyon se bhojil, jhapak jhapak kar,

Farmaan-e-furqat se har su yun jhagad rahi thin ..

Khud ki dulhan ko andekha kar,

Woh sirf mujh ko ghoor rahi thin,

Kaisi shaadi, kaisa mut’h, khawaaishen thin bepardah ..

Uski dulhan pare kamre main baithi thi shaayad,

Uski ankhen ghair ko noor-e-humdum bol rahi thin ..

Mehndi se hare,

Gote belon main lipte,

Hazar harfon sitaron se chune,

Surkh jode main saji — dulhan,

Garaahre ke bhaari dupatte main jahan dilshad yaaden samet rahi thi,

Halki saadi neeli saaree hasrat main wahin jhulas rahi thi ..

Uska gul-e-sehra,

Itraati bikharti Pakistani ittr ki khushboo,

Uski sunhari sherwani ke mehnge maheen dhaage,

Mujh par qabzah kiye hue they ..

Aadaab-e-mukhtalif ne uski tab yun aaz lagayi,

Lihaaz aabru ka gala maine ghot diya phir ..

Mehfil-e-aara’ish se rukhsat hone ka man banaye,

Jo maine apne aashuftah paun dehleez talak badhaye,

Darwaaze se palat ke dekhne ki tabiyat hui ek baar,

Bechen saanson aur ghabrati palkon ka hawaala de kar,

Aab-e-chashm liye uski uudi aankhen mujhko rok rahi thin ..

Main ek anjaan thi, na uska naam-o-maazi mujhe pata,

Khawaab main maujood tha jo woh ek shaks,

Meri pyaasi aarzoo ne hi toh tha usko buna,

Toh kaise kar gaya mujhe meri asliyat se hi ghaafil,

Kyon darwaaze se yun laut jaana thi namuraad-e-sazaa ..

Neend ka tootna ab khalta sa hai,

Waqt beet ra hai, na beetta hai toh woh mera humsaya,

Uski hairaan sooni ankhen mujhko ab bhi rok rahi hain,

Phir shaadab alfazon main yun kuch bol rahi hain,

Main hi hun uski dulhan, mujhse hi hai uska nikaah,

Iss mukhtasir baat ko hi qaa’idah-e-ghazal tol rahi hain ..

Tum hi bolo na — Kya main phir se so jaun?

Usko ussi kamre main, uss bheed main khoya,

Saaf shaffaq chaandni par baitha paun?

Phir se kya main uski faryaadi ankhon ko dekhungi?

Unmain basi uss tadap ko iss baar samajh sakungi?

Jo ho Ijaazat-e-Khudayi — toh,

Iss bezaar wajood ko bhula kar, taap main jalakar,

Unn ankhon ki kashish main pehle se kahin jyada pighal jaun,

Uske aagosh main kho kar, phir se kuch dhoondun —

Issi azal main khud ko bedaar kar paun,

Shaayad iss kar-guzar khud ko pehchaan paun …

~ My First Baby ~

Ohk, now, this Beautiful Little Baby got us into one grappling duel, he — crying and hollering that why the heck book doesn’t have his picture like Momma’s, and me lunging to catch those airborne copies, flung by him in fury. Phew. Tired, but happy happy, anyway.

If you got a palate for words, some real crunchy words, dripping in emotions, soothing on your tongue, evoking your senses with their feathery touch, tingling your mind till you're nearly numb, only to render to the everlasting beauty of the same luscious words - Discover the Haute Cuisine here : http://www.flipkart.com/minds-work-2/p/9789383306060

~ Till the Very Last ~

~ Till the Very Last ~

Oh, how I wish to tap-open your heart,

Guide your lazy fingers to my life, to my past,

Make you pick just half handful of grit —

Piercing and turning mine into one sieve,

Then, veer your clouded fist to the one — ajar,

Lo! Now you open those closed fingers,

And, let the burning grit of my thin secrets,

Along with the cold sands of my long past,

Slide and glide into the free space — of —

Your open clumsy yet warmth oozing heart —

Without spilling or brimming, but kissing,

With a solemn promise, to last, till the last,

Ah, yes, Till the Very Last!

Whoever has painted this picture, I've no knowledge of the source, but loved it the moment I saw it. Intense, sensual, saying so much even without talking. 

~ Neeli Choodiyan ~

~ Neeli Choodiyan ~

Zuban pe sambhala,

Daanton main dabaya,

Honthon se sehlate hue,

Woh unke alfaaz phir ubhare,

‘Ek baar ghaur farmayen,

Yeh  Neeli Choodiyan,

Hum bade muhabbat se laye hain’

Shahad se ghaade, misri se mithe,

Alfaaz unke mujhe yun chubhe, dheere dheere…

Haathon ko jhatak kar,

Ungliyon ko masalkar,

Kalayi ko yun jakda,

Neeli hari ragh aisi ubhari,

Phiki lagin unki Neeli Choodiyan…

Lahu main labrez meri sirf ek aah nikli,

Aah ki nishaaniyan bhi kaanch se liptin,

Surkh neeli se matmaili lagne lagin,

Jaise taise hatheli ko aagosh main leti,

Kalayi pe ja ramin Neeli Choodiyan…

‘Dekhiye kya khoob jachti hain,

Aur bhi jyada nikhar gaya apka badan

Aur yeh gora rang’

Ankhon se meri jild ko udhedte hue,

Garam tezz saanson se mere sookhe zakhm ko kureda,

Raan pe apna ghutna rakh,

Pistaan ko bhi yun berehmi se ghoora,

Marzi ki shaakh pe phir na koi phal aaya,

Jadd ko hi yun kosa ki, na paed raha, na uska saya..

Jaan bhi meri uss tezz dhoop main sulag gayi, 

Rooh machali, pyaasi thi, phir pyaasi hi rahi, 

Tab —

Chann si awaaz kanon main jaise goonji,

Woh Neeli Choodiyan ek baar phir se tootin,

Toot kar bikhar gayin…

For this poem of mine, do find the translation or rather his own creation, by Amrit Sinha, here - 'Blue Bangles'.

I won't say he has done equally good, cause his work stand on its own. Much brilliant. Much better. 

~ Awaaz ~

~ Awaaz ~

Kiski si awaaz lagti hai?

Kahan se yun panapti hai ?

Hai naam pata kya uska ?

Woh jo khawaab ki naazir,

Lapat main chingaari si awaaz..

Khoobsoorat nazm ki shakal,

Jaise hai kisi bazm se uthti,

Shankh, tamboore, nagade si awaaz,

Naath si masoom, vaani main ghulti,

Zuban pe paan ki laali si laal ..

Woh kisi ke maazi si awaaz …

Uss bade se sheher main,

Uss nanhe se gaon main,

Jab bhi zor zor se bajti hai,

Kaanon main, galiyaron main,

Baagheeche main mitti ke galichon si awaaz..

Har sijde si jhukti, ibadat main theharti,

Rooh ke sukoon main sarabor hone ki awaaz..

Uss band kali ke khilne ki chahat si khilti,

Oss si paak dulhan ki mehndi main rachti,

Ghoonghat uthane pe sharam si chalakti,

Ghulab si maasoom, khushi main mehekti,

Kal ki khushkhabri main ankhon se tapakti,

Uss nayi maan ki cheekhon si lagti,

Doodh ki shakal liye seene main utarti,

Unn ankhon se tapakti, jab kissi darr ko chooti,

Woh jab darwaze pe sir tika kar rah takti,

Na aane pe bilakhti, aansuon main jagti,

Aane pe hichkiyon aur muskurahne ki awaaz..

Phir ek roz, bina daanton ke bhi khilkhilati,

Jhuriyon main jhulasti jawaani ki awaaz..

Har sheh-o-afsaane se faarigh paakar,

Qabr ki purzor yaad aane ki awaaz..

Iss awaaz ko kya naam dena chaoge?

Chalo fursat se dobara sochenge,

Aaj raat is awaaz ko Awaaz hi keh dete hain…

Yet another beautiful translation by my friend and poet, Amrit Sinha. And, believe me, this one is a lot better than mine. I loved how he has shaped my words differently.

Read his poem 'Melody', the translation of my poem '~ Awaaz ~'.

~ Tooti hui Kundi ~

~ Tooti hui Kundi ~

Jaate hue unhone kaha tha —

Kundi laga lo,

Darwaza khatkhata dunga, aaunga jab bhi,

Jaate kadmon ko rokne ka dum na sahi,

Band darwaze —

Aate kadmon ki aahat ko peete nai hain …

Waade si shakal liye alfazon ko unke,

Chuma, sehlaya, phir takiye main samet liya maine …

Ab byaalisvi manhoos sardi ki phati jild seeti hoon baar baar,

Pevand lage parde,

Boodhi ghadi ki thaki hui suiyan,

Bina bojh ke bhi bojhil si chaarpayi,

Deewaron main utarti seelan,

Safed zulf, siyah raat se kaali paendi ke bartan,

Jhuriyon se jhankti, dhundhlati nazar,

Kanpati ungliyan, thartharati saans, beshumaar hichkiyan,

Larazti ek umeed,

Tooti hui Kundi,

Khula darwaza — barso se intezaar main hai ..

Phir unke aate kadmon ki aahat kaun pii gaya?

Mere badle ki khawaish kaun kab jee gaya?

Dasht-e-maujoodgi main bhi,

Jab kabhi zinda si maloom padti hai – Tooti hui Kundi,

Jhankh leti hoon ki woh hi aayen hain, ya,

Iss manhoos sardi aur uski behis hawa ko phir se angdayi aayi hai …

This Urdu Poem has been translated very beautifully by a very sweet friend of mine and a much talented writer and poet, Amrit Sinha.
Do visit his Blog to check out his poem 'The Broken Latch', which is an immaculate English translation of my Poem '~ Tooti hui Kundi ~'.

~ Khidki ~

~ Khidki ~

Hakeem luqmaan keh gaye,

Nahin dawa iss mar'z ki,

Umeed-e-shifa hai bas,

‘gar mile ek nazar aapki, yun jaate jaate…

Hui Alaamat-e-Khoobieh shayad,

Guzar tha ek din meri gali se,

Surkh sookhe patton main lipti,

Thi be-abroo khidki bhi meri ek arse se,

Palat kar yun taaka aapne,

Ki —

Basar hua ek sulgan ka seene main,

Jaan halaq main machli si aa atki,

Rooh beqaabu, wujood sunn,

Sannata mere ird-gird,

Harkat hui sirf zubann main,

Woh  fisali, fir sambhli — sambhalte hui boli,

‘Badi der kardi mehrbann aate aate…’