~ In affair with ye .. ~ / ~ Aap ki muhabbat, main ..~

 

~ Aap ki muhabbat, main ..~

Dekhiye,

Woh jo karte hain sawaal,

Poochte hain mera haal,

Ki, kisski hoon main pehchaan,

Kiske ghar hoon mehmaan,

Toh main ye bolti hoon,

Lab ahiste se kholti hoon,

“Kyon nahin yaad apko mera chehra?

Garbh main apke hi, mera wajood thehra ..

Kop’l phoot, bani naqsh e mazmoon e pyaar,

Muhabbat hun apki, na itni mazallat se napiye Janaab mera byaar ..”

Yun toh bemaqsad hi log yahan aate hain,

Na- mauzoon Khawaishen, phir paate hain,

J’nti umeedon ki Ghaar e bhook main,

Ranjishen chabaate, majbooriyn pii jate hain ..

Phir waqt hone pe, maqsad lawaaris chorh chale jaate hain ..

“Unhi be-maqsadon ka ek adhoora maqsad banun,

Pehlu pakad apka, toot-te taare pe paun dharun,

Aap door khade, shabashi do, taliyan bhi,

Aankh meenche, dagmagaate qadamo’n si,

Main haule haule aapki taraf chalun,

Oss sa jhade tabassum, uski baarish main dhulun,

Nayi shafaq libas si meri jild ko,

Aap phir apne aagosh main lo,

Bosa lo unn andhere goshon ka,

Tadfeen tha, makaan jo wo’ silwaton sa,

Manind ho jayen hum ek doosre ke yun —

Tawaazun e muhabbat se — maqsad mukammal main banun!”

~ In affair with ye .. ~

Doth they ask,

Question my resemblance,

That who’d willingly home me ..

Would I say — betwixt slow parting of my lips

“How doth thee forget my face?

In thy womb, I was placed ..

Budded — into a frescoed word of love,

In affair with ye, doth not disgracefully measure me, O’ Monsieur ..”

They come here, no wish-spoon in their hands,

Then, they desire far-fetched desires till the end,

Thither, in the hungry dark caves of birthing hopes,

Resentments they eat, drink their bitter feeble-selves,

Orphaning their wishes, soon they would pass ..

“So, would thee call me one of thine incomplete wishes?

Holding thy hold, I shalt step upon one wishing star ..

Would ye praise me, applaud my gait?

Shutting close my blinking eyes,

I shalt slowly walk towards ye ..

In thy dewed smile, let me wash my scared blemished self,

With a chaste skin, I promise to someday embrace ye ..

Then, should thou kiss those dark nooks,

Buried deep, housed as in wrinkled furrow,

Thou shalt become me, I shalt become thee —

Poising our affair thus — one perfect, exultant wish be I!”

~ Mila … ~

~ Mila … ~

Hashiyah-e-tasawwurat se hawalah mera, fariyaadi mila,

Shokhiyon main lipti ‘Na’ ka main, humesha hi, aadi mila ..

***

Mil toh jayenge maayene, lafz koi bekaar nai farhangi main,

Na milun kabhi, samajh lena maayene mujhe, barbadi mila ..

***

Tukur-tukur dekhta hoon, khud ko hi aksar uske aaine main,

Do ankhen, ek naak, phir mujhe laqab kaise, ‘abaadi’ mila?

***

Malmal main dete hain lapet, lasani jo kuch ek sache aashiq,

Inteqal to’ maine bhi farmaya, mujhe kafan kyon, khadi mila?

***

Imtehaanon se gurezaan main nahin, kare ‘ainy’ shinaakht,

Marta kaash ki ye sunte hue, ‘Majnun mujhe, fauladi mila’!

******

*** Hashiyah – Footnote

Farhangi – Glossary
Gurezaan – Fleeing 

~ Deewani main teri … ~

~ Deewani main teri … ~

Ho na jaun yun sawaali main ab teri,

Baaw’la jiya, uss ko tujh pe gayi haari …

Ankhiyan ki simat’ti putliyon si meri,

Tujhe dekh ghabrai, tujh se hi sanw’ri,

Jaye deewani teri, tujh pe sadqe vaari …

Hoti jaati hun tujh bin kaisi khaali,

Kaahe na bhare ab meri sooni jholi?

Barsa de tu, do mehki boonden prem ki,

Bheeg jaun main sir se paun tak saari …

Udne ke liye surkhab ke pankh paati,

Chorr falak ka pakad tujh tak laati,

Ishaara jo jhoota hi kar deti palkhen teri,

Chaahe tu ne mukh se na bhi ho boli,

Jeena kya, main tujh pe hi jaati maari …

Baadalon ko chunti, qalam main piroti,

Nichod deti unko, ansuon se unke likhti,

Dhed teri kahani, aur apni adhi adhoori …

Prem-ras ghol ke, jo main syahi bana paati,

Saare kore pannon main tujh ko likh jaati,

Sondhi ek chahat hai tu sainya ve, meri,

Deewani hui main kab ki sirf, o’re teri …

~ A Crescent Smile ~

Photo Credit: Sanjay Pandita

~ A Crescent Smile ~

Honey!

They say, would truly swear,

Moon was always there,

Kindly poised God’s tear,

Antediluvian fables’ lair,

And that, it’s not to wear …

They call it as lovers’ love,

They’d also kin it to dove,

White, innocent, sky’s cove,

Unblemished ride of Jove?

Honey, I find it all a farce,

A blatant lie, it should be!

On the dull dubious blank black slate of my thoughts —

I know, you’d scribble it for me,

With a virtuoso white chalk .. Or,

May be scratched with a coin,

One crescent walk the talk .. Or,

Whittled it from a crystal ball,

Stolen from one witch’s hawk .. Or,

Did you Glue a chewing gum,

Clicking it before it could balk?

Was it not the Moon that clinked?

But, I danced whilst you blinked ..

A true moony teary crescent smile,

Engraved on my sky, unto a while!

~ I took Wings, once… ~

~ I took Wings, once… ~

Inviting …

Labyrinth was his soul

I whispered … beseeching …

How long would I hold?

How to brace myself?

Should I try not to fall?

But …

His dark eyes beckoned me,

Whenever I did close mine ..

Enticing me with my rich hued image fostered in their core,

They promised me a kiss, long enlivening ..

A kiss so deep, washing on my senses, even as I sleep ..

Loosening my hold, So —

I kissed him, in my dreams,

Whilst he and I were in an embrace, in a way,

That I placed my heart in his right,

And my right took his left,

An embrace of our hearts, of bodies, of our souls ..

Kiss, the sweetest purest wettest ‘taken’ stamp of Love, he’d tell ..

So, should I say, I belong to me, no more?

There, I undo my grip, slackening my ‘I Can’t’,

So — in a bottomless hollow, I fall, I fall,

Along the path, caressing the wild pretty blossoms —

— Blithely growing on the walls,

Tumbling, echoing, would I go,

Cupping in palms, the fledgling of our warm Kiss, first that was ..

I decide, he & I would fly it … soon … together …

Down and down, giving so willingly into the coveted receiving …

Pinions got grazed, fledgling couldn’t breathe ..

I then called him twice — namelessly

When he didn’t respond, I asked,

‘What name should I call thee?

Would thou embrace same me?’

He still didn’t reply!

Henceforth, I thought to name him something, anything —

Whilst I fall …

Nothing? Nothing? No one? Nowhere?

A book, he must be, with torn edges, so captivating,

Or, a stern wall of vines, green, blessed, so confined,

Or, the West Orange wind, stealing breaths, blinding,

An ornate plume, colorful, darling feather, befooling?

Or, one tall glass of English wine, sucking into stupor,

A bold promise, hot, boiling liquid, soon evanescence?

Or, may be only an impregnated dream, born of —

The coupling of my yearning with my desire …

And, I hit the bottom of my winged thoughts …

So —

I — now — fly — no more!

~ Lagta hai .. ~/~ Shadow .. ~

~ Lagta hai .. ~

Rujhaan mera ussi taraf, jo bhi tujhsa lagta hai,

Tera har deewana ab, hu-ba-hu mujhsa lagta hai ..

Likhta hoon, shab O roz tujhe, harf harf seene pe,

Talab, ek nazar tera rukhsar, safha pyasa lagta hai ..

Ghiss tu, meri ulfat ke raize, be-parwai ki ayrhee se,

Taseer dekh, ki ab sard chaand bhi, jhulsa lagta hai ..

Be-pahar, Saye se tere wabasta hua yun, adna sa dil,

Aks mera, aaina bola, ‘le ab dhundlatasa lagta hai’ ..

Udhar lin shuayen, shams se, gunchon se liya jamaal,

Fir likh diya, jaise tu faqat ek ghada qissa lagta hai!

~ Shadow .. ~

I saw thee, found thee, every face resembled thee,

Thy lovers seeking thee, now they’d resemble me ..

Carving into letters, I engraved thee on my chest,

Thirsty is the paper, its only desire, hence thy face ..

Let thy cold heel, rub them sore — grains of my love,

Effect should thou see, for icicled moon, is aflame ..

Little heart, grew fond of thy Shadow, so timelessly,

Even mirror says now, my image is, renouncing me ..

Sun lent me its radiance, beauty from springing buds,

Wrote thee then, a fabled anecdote, as thou must be!

~ Puraani si Woh .. ~

~ Puraani si Woh .. ~

Suno nah,

Hai jo woh,

Kuch kuch,

Daadi maan ki na-jadeed(not-modern) seekh jaisi,

Behadd qadeem(old),

Par itni asardaar,

Ek jo woh noorani nuskhe si ..

Hai dekho, tamaam ke hisse,

Har shaks ke waaste,

Pulinda bhar bhar,

Sakht hidaayten,

Jhooti daant si,

Budbudati dua’en,

Paeni nazaren,

Nakli hi sahi, pitayi bhi,

Aur, jo sab lagne lage,

Ekdum hi be-asar, bekaar,

Toh meethi baaten,

Do-chaar naye puraane sikke,

Paandaan se nikal ke,

Woh yun behlana,

Fir fuslana,

Puchkarna,

Godd main baitha ke,

Kadwi dawa pilana ..

Haan, suno nah,

Seekh daadi ki,

Nuskhon ki phate jild ki kitab si bhi,

Dua dawa har aam O khaas ke liye,

Sirf, na kuch hai toh, rok pana —

Khud ka mansokh(obsolete) hona,

Dhoomil padti syaahi sa,

Zindagi numa safeh se,

Jadd se hi,

Mit jaana ..

Guzra waqt ban jaana ..

Mitti si yun ho ke,

Mitti main hi mil jaana,

Ek roz, na chahte hue bhi,

Fana’h ho jaana …

A song — ~ No More ~

A song — ~ No More ~

Baby … how I tell you

How much I miss you

They say it is day and,

All I see is dark, only dark ..

Your eyes were my sea,

So blue, how so deep,

Now where do I go?

Looking into them is no more … no more

Baby … How I tell you

How much I miss you

We wanted to explore,

So much together — You & I

The heights of cliffs, and

Depths of our love … of our love

Now where do I go?

When that spirit is no more … no more

Tell me, how I tell you,

How much I miss you

You were my melody,

Your voice my song … my song

Now where do I go?

When my soul-song is no more … no more

Baby, how would I tell you?

How much I miss you,

I’d push you away, so far,

Now I blink endless times,

But you’d not come … would not come

There is nowhere to go, baby

When my heart beats no more … no more … no more …

~ ‘Bygone’ you see … ~

~ ‘Bygone’ you see … ~

Beheld, to what his fair finger pointed,

Drank the brook of & from his blonde eyes,

Mosses became my nerves,

I gathered and held to him —

As mine, howbeit mine — bold trunk,

Liverwort my quintessence —

So tiny, thus paltry, hence lost …

Love logs nurtured the lichens,

Lichens — my desires, his wants,

Trampled the forever boggy floor,

Swinging arms, hopes, for support ..

Planted — Nurtured — Embowered …

So, you see, I was happy, I laughed,

I laughed till the spring was gone,

Gone were the rains, the moisture,

The moistness of his honeyed tongue

Zephyr, lovely breeze, that I longed,

Was also gone, to become ‘Bygone’,

Then, so hefty as you know of him,

With his famous burnished barnet(hair),

Cradling the hot wind, knife sharp,

He whispered the words, cutting me

‘Let Bygones be Bygones, Da’ling ..

To high flames, what we ever had!’

So, you see, to his merry fire it went,

It went, howsoever I wished, for NOT …

In orange daffodil trumpets tinge

Lo! Behold! My love smoldered …

Turned, burned, into ashes and soot,

Of million hues, of million hues ..

My FOREVER ablaze in million hues ….

To zilch — a color of zillion blacks ..

Now … ‘Bygone’ … You see?

~ Dekhiye ek baar .. ~ / ~ Would you see .. ~

~ Dekhiye ek baar .. ~

Ashq e arma'n, riste hain ab, dekhiye ek baar,

Kaste dhaage, hansti hun jab, dekhiye ek baar ..

Girhen do sau, bandhi thin jo, zuba'n ki nok pe,

Jur'at e jumbish, surkhroo lab, dekhiye ek baar ..

Tarz e ufaan e samandar, nache fena, doobe beda,

Daldal e taqdeer, gayi aarzo dab, dekhiye ek baar ..

Bay-tadbeer mila, tafreeh main guzri saari shaam,

Rukhsat e roshni, ta'assubi shab, dekhiye ek baar ..

Yun ahiste, anch e ishq main, jalna jo nagawar,

Haya jhulsana, palkhon ka tab, dekhiye ek baar ..

Puche 'ainy', kholun bahen, par bana lun 'gar,

Parwaz e khwaishat, tark kab, dekhiye ek baar ...

Dekhiye na .. ek baar .....

~ Would you see .. ~

Tears of desire, leaking from her eyes, would you see?

Tensed wires, birthing from her smiles, would you see?

Tip of her tongue, twisted and tied, into hundred knots,

Brilliant lips, daring to rhyme unrhyme, would you see?

On the rhythm of angry sea, dances foam, a boat sinks,

Quagmire of fate, sucking in the desires, would you see?

Improvidence gifted, wasted till the last peck of twilight,

Light abandoned sky, biased is the night, would you see?

To smolder in love, smother herself, what if undesired,

Coyness aflame, her poised eyelashes, would you see?

If opening her arms into wings, she’d sought, ‘ainy’ asks,

Desires once to the winds, never forsaken, should you see!

So .. should you see ……

Ainy

See her thou,

 Where she stand ..

 Begin her thou,

 Whilst she end ..

 Find her thou,

 Lost is her land ..

 Walk her, would thou?

 'Ainy' look for her 'and' ...

Kuch yun hi ... :) :)

~ Kaisi girho'n main uljhe jaati hain, ye surkh palkhen tumhari,
Kastoori dhoondte ho, ya bhula de usse phir, aisi khumaari?

Wherefore, thy weary eyes hath entangled, to lose their sheen,
Searching for thy musk, or to forget it, an intoxication so keen? ~

~ Kaash, ki ye pur’tapish saans, hui hoti naseem,

Kaash, ‘gar jo ho paati main, tujh se, marasim …

If only, this charred breathe, could become breezy,

If only, to woo you till I breath my last, was easy … ~

~ Shadeed sunne waale qayaam kiye, par Gul murjhaya be-awaaz hi,

Bhanw’re be-araam jo aaj hain, kyon Guncha masail e bazaar ho?

Flower wilted without a moan, howsoever keen ears homed around,

If, Bumblebees drone today aloud, why should a Bloom astound? ~

~ Kaash, ki khuda kare, barkaraar rahe ye silsila yun hi,

Aap udhar jalte raho, hum idhar musalsal, sulagte rahen ..

Muhabbat main, jismon ka mil jaana hi, mayaar to’ nahi,

Roohen chuyen, aur tasavvur rava’ni se, dhadhagte rahen .. ~

~ Teri do ankhen, us khuld ki pehredaar,

Piyen, goya lahaasil, adab e taabdaar,

Musalsal sargoshiyon main ye labrez,

Khuloos e tarkash e nigah, dhaardar!

Gate to an eternal paradise, your eyes,

Lost in luminous literature, your eyes

Doused in whispers such, they’d sigh,

Sharp arrow in pure quiver, your eyes! ~

~ Ufaq pe me’hboob, tera basera,

Wasl pe bhi, dooriyon ka pehra,

Kaise karoon taw’af, zameen se?

Surkh labon ka, sawal ye gehra!

So would you dwell the horizon, love,

Tryst of hearts, much entangled, love,

How should the betwixted be kissed?

My ruby lips, etching the query, love! ~

~ Kundi nahin kholi usne, darwaaze ki,

 Raat saari roti rahi, sone ke bahane se ..

 Doors, were so kept bolted, the past night,

 Behind closed lids, cried she, the last night! ~

~ Shab e vasl kareeb, mujhe tujhe, chaen kahan,

 'Garche aa jaye, toh wo namurad e ishq kahan! ~

~ Be-amad O raft nahin chorha koi do-raha ghair ke shahar ka,

Banjar hua hai dil, nahin raha aasra tere kisi saraab e nahar ka,

Na-qabil e tahseen gali-kuchon ko phir jhuk-jhuk ke kiya salam,

Musht-e-Ghubaar hua kohsar, ho ke janib isi farayb e pahar ka! 

*** Be-Amad O Raft – Untrodden/unwalked

Saraab – Mirage 

Na-Qabil e Tahseen – not worthy of praise/ unappreciated

Musht-e-Ghubaar – Handful of dust

Kohsar – Mountain

Not any lane on strangers’ land, hath been left untrodden,

Barrened heart, no longer yearn for mirage of thine, hence,

Lowly alleys, unpraised nooks, so thus are now bowed to,

Time lending fibs, a handful of dust for pawned mountain! ~

~ Nazar e poshid'gi se alahaidgi ka farmaan,

 Ghair ke husn e zan ko shingaar ka samaan,

 Munaasib ho na 'gar itni sakht-kalaami bhi,

 Mere lahoo se surkhroo kar tere ye armaan! ~

~ Bahanon bahanon main, ki dekh,

Guftugu ye kahan talak pohnchi,

‘gar  jo hans de, toh meri wah wah,

Jo tu ruthe, toh hogi ‘Uski’ marzi … ~

~ Majboori ka yun ‘gar naam khuda,

Woh jo tode, kisi se bhi jude kahan?

Dil aajazi, uff, ‘Ye’ zaalim kaam juda,

Phate, kate, jale, fir se seele wahan! ~

~ How tender and sweet, her pink bounty laughs,

Plucking on my heart, those swinging boughs! ~

~ Jis thor main kar thehrun, jis bhi aur fir chalun,

 Meri muqadas jagah, paaktareen gosha, sirf tu! ~

~ Raabta bewaj'h, ehbab itne kyon?

 Faqat ishq, jism O jild se ho kyon?

 Mujhe dhoonde hai jo tu, sab main,

 Khaas 'gar, yun aam fir hon kyon? ~

~ Adab nargisi, hai khoob hazar boo-e-gulaab si,

 Shabnam-e-'ainy' thehri, jab tak rahi hatheli par .. ~

~ Hai ittefaq ki hum donon ke khayalat kitne milte hain,

 Maine tujh ko hai chaha, tune bhi khud ko hi chaha... ~

~ Raaten siah, la tadaad sansen, kuch ek adhoore khawaab,

 Maahol O waqia tha intiqal e muhabbat, ye warasat mila! ~

~ Ji .. hai 'hasad' aap se, aur ho bhi toh kyon na?

 Baittefaqan, ishq main choor, hum sa jo mil gaya! ~

~ Ghairon se ki tasdeeq, na usse tu ne poocha,

Unn jaison ko toh lagta, ye bawaal acha hai .. ~