~ Words, they once Walked ~

~ Words, they once Walked ~

Lo! They limp,

Self-inflicted ..

God Forbid,

The deaths before survival,

Scalding,

Scorching,

Challenging,

The route they choose, of no choice,

Before thy eyes, they shall float,

Black, bold, thick, thin, long, short, curvy, straight …

Broken … Unused …

Placidly, they may lie, may have to, for a while,

Before lifting their head in agony, in hope,

Prosing,

Preaching,

Probing,

Sniggering,

Puckering,

Prodding,

Bickering,

Plaguing,

Crawling on a limp, one-half of it, only even,

Screeching,

Leeching,

Prying,

Breaching,

Banging the door with head,

Cupped hands dripping with leprosy …

Throbbing door, painted in fresh red,

Does answer in a dry as a bone - No …

Repugnance,

Penance,

Self-Purged,

Death …

Strewn on the new blue rug,

Dead ‘untrodden’ leaves,

Never so dead!

~ Name ~ / ~ Naam ~

~ Name ~

What shall I call thee?

What doth it make me?

Thirst in me,

Maketh mirage of ye ..

Hath thee been morsel,

Whetting my appetite, again ..

If, hope thou art,

Dost kindly name me, patience ..

If, thee febrile dust storm,

Windswept sand is me ..

Bohemian, thy sobriquet?

I cometh from the tales, you traipsed and forgot ..

Zenith thee, Nadir me,

My beauty, evanescence, silhouetting thy flesh,

Reminiscences belonging to thee, doth mine …

Zilch my presence to thee,

Nigh shalt be the finale to me ..

Yonder — Oasis blooms of ye, if for me —

Hither — me, sans procrastination —

Shalt drink mine, and —

Dissolve in thy ‘Name’ ….

~ Naam ~

Kya naam doon tujhe?

Kya banaaun khud ko?

Saraab tu,

Pyaas main,

Niwala tu,

Bhook main,

Umeed tu,

Sabr main,

Tapish tu,

Raet main,

Musafir tu,

Bhooli ek kahani main,

Shuruwat tu,

Khaatma main,

Tere raishon, pathon pe meri jild,

Teri yaadon ko hi odha fir,

Na hona mera ‘gar teri zidd,

Parda kyon na gire fir jald hi ?

Par — jo tu —

Wahan, sabz panaah bane meri,

Yahan, bina der kiye, piyun, ghulun,

Tujh main hi, tere 'Naam' main bhi …

~ ‘Maiy’ ~

~ ‘Maiy’ ~

Khaali sadak ki becheni liye,

Ek ghafil soch sa dastakhat,

Puraasta rukh e mazmoon pe ..

Kam harfi bhi thi kuch yun,

Us kore kaagaz ke seene main,

Aagzada hua ho ‘Maiy’-kadah,

— jaise — koi —

Aur, Jalaane wale ki maslihat,

Faqat tardaaman e khaaksaari ..

— aur fanaa kaun? —

Khud ka takabbur e burdabari,

—aur shaidaai? —

Ek taza tahzeeb si, qulqul karti,

Zauq e khumari, kamsin ‘Maiy’!

***Puraasta – Decorated

Mazmoon – Essay

Maslihat – cause/logic

Tardaaman – Guilty

Khaaksaari – Humbleness

Takabbur – Arrogance

Burdabari – Endurance

Shaidaai – Destroyer

Zauq - Taste

~ Benaam Ghazal ~

~ Benaam Ghazal ~

Uudi gulaabi, ishq e khumaari,

Aab si chanchal, na sanjeeda —

Takhallus e bekhudi e jawaani ..

Imkaan e muhabbat, shuru hi thi bas,

Tasdeeq e khaatma, tu ne kar dali …

Perwerish e naqsh e qadam phir tera,

Guncha e yaad yun kar maine sanjoya,

Naqaabile tawaj’h gosha e dil mera,

Raiza e alfaaz hanoot hue wahin pe,

Jo haqeer O nakarah they abhi talak,

Kitni hi unkahi soz tehreeron main se ..

Bayan they kabhi nargisi nigaahon se,

Yak jhoote yak sache hazar dilshad kisse,

Par dekh — aaj numaya nai hoti hai ye,

Zuban pe aayi meri guftagu e ehem bhi ..

Tu matla, tu maqta, radeef, qaafiya bhi tu,

Benaam ghazal hona — meri bas kahani!

Hanoot – Embalm (as in Mummification)

Haqeer – Insignificant

Numaya – Significant

Khilona?

Khilona?

Toda kabhi, joda kabhi,

Bun pakke gujashta afsaane mere kaaghazi qalb pe,

Dil azari kar bhehlaya khudko, aur phir — chorha wahin,

Pooche hai ab shab-o-roz,

Yun chedti sui, udhade dhaage, paywand-e-maazi,

Aur, mera ye aaina bhi, ‘Dekh, ki tu — khilona to nahin?’

Hilta hai ab purza purza,

Jodun khudko kaise, kyon kar dikhti hai sachi silai?

Mita doon jo main ye nishan bhi, ‘gar — phat na jaaun kahin!

~ Adhoori si ~

~ Adhoori Si ~

Tishnagi hai tujh se,

Adawaten kyon mujh se?

Aatishain hain harsu,

Ba-ranjish tere falak pe ..

Rehta hai musht-e-ghubaar,

Faryadi sa iss fiza main ..

Maausam-e-bekasii ho,

Dayaar-e-dasht nafas main ..

Miraaj-e-ulfat main bheega,

Thoda laal, zyaada sa neelaa …

Nichod de tu mere dil ko,

Qatra qatra tapkega jo,

Raqeeb woh lahu sa,

Kareeb jo kabhi hua tha ..

Jazb be-awaaz kar yun,

Meri khalish si bahaal,

Shadaabee Rooh-e-mitti main ho …

Tark-e-bazm — main — adhoori si …

Furqat ke lamhon main, tab

Hayaat ho uthega wahi waqia bhi phir yun — Jab

Zameen-doz — main — fatiha odhe — safed libas pehne,

Ban kar mitti ki makhsus humkhayal,

Ja milungi gale, habeeb si main ..

Raghen meri hongi saraabor phir tujh se ..

Ki — beshaq — adawaten hon mujh se,

‘Gar tishnagi jo tujh se,

Hoon muqammal main phir kis se?

~ Bazaar ~

Picture Courtesy: Google Images

~ Bazaar ~

Muhabbat ke Bazaar main, purshokh maal phir mil jaye,

Di dua aaj tujhe, na mujh sa dil e behaal phir mil jaye ..

Aaj ki shaam phir nikal tu, nigaahon ko taraashe yun,

Ki unn fankaar ankhon ko bazm e nihaal phir mil jaye ..

Humnawaa, humnafas, humsaaz, humsayaa, mah e ziist,

Naamon se kya raabta, jab zarf e ‘bawaal’ phir mil jaye ..

Koyal ki kook, Mor ki hook, na hai tujhsi Awaaz kahin,

Sur ko kas aise, Ae Saaznawaz, tazadam taal phir mil jaye ..

Neendon ko jhulsaati tez dhoop main, phunke Bazaar toh kya?

Dukaanen yunhi sajengi, jo baais e tark e kamaal phir mil jaye!

Sadia

~ Aab-e-hayat yun bane,

Choome jo tu, iss tishnagi ko ..

Jism aise zarra zarra ho jaye,

Bechen rooh bhi phir, azaad ho!

Pour me thou, will ye, water of life,

My thirst, if kissed, would also die ..

Body, too, shall repose in specks,

Soul, aflutter, would – hence, fly! ~

~ Beti ~

~ Beti ~

Murshid-e-munawar,

Ankhon ki chamak o nami teri ..

Marhaba, marhaba habibi,

Haye, ye teri gulaab si hansi ..

Muntazir-e-Pechidegi,

Peshaani ki silwaten meri ..

Shadaab-e-gul, zard narangi,

Kilkariyan teri, athkheliyan bhi ..

Hawa-e-zarf, badi door talak,

Raah takti hai pasheman rooh meri ..

Darna mera khabt, hai alag tarjumaani koi?

Beti ki pedaish, yahan, alaamaat-e-musiibat hi!

~ Main Yahin Hoon ~

~ Main Yahin Hoon ~

Palat ke na dekhungi,

Sookhe patton sang udd ke,

Teri muhabbat ko kadmon tale,

Masalti, peesti, chali jaungi,

Bola tha uss roz, tesh main aakr ..

Saal dar saal, kitne pattjhad hue,

Main wahin — yahin — khadi hoon,

Patton ko haathon main samete,

Sehlati, sawanrti, wapas lagati,

Girne pe sambhaalti, phir se lagati,

Intezaar main hi toh khadi hoon,

Tune kaha tha, ‘main yahin milunga’ ..

Na tu hai, na dhoop main ubharta tera saya,

Bheegi, doobti saansen main churaati,

Geeli mitti ko kuredti, yaaden chunti,

Kab se teri raah tak rahi hoon,

Tu kahan hai?

Ae Ishq mere, tu kahan hai?

Main yahin, sookhe patton main ghiri,

Narm bhoori zayray-zameen aahon main lipti,

Nahin, main soyi nai, bas tere vaaste hi,

Kab se jagi hoon …

Dabi hoon, par … Kab se jagi hoon …

Tu kahan hai?