The ever-present frigidness is now fiery warm;
The spring had come suddenly
and now, I wish it gone;
For there is no softness, no gentleness as such;
Only the passionate sun
that burns all he touch;
And makes you wish for icy winds and torrential storm.
Love is just barely here,
and now, I wish it gone.
Neend hi toh nahi aati, bas khwab hi hain.
Jo neend bhi aa jati toh mar hi na jate?!
Translation:
Can’t sleep even if I tried,
Strangled by dreams awake wide;
Had I been able to get a wink,
Probably would have died!
Hanging on the horizon, the clouds threaten to fall.
Hearts make one more wish on the falling star.
Hanging between genders, they dare not hope though.
Pain,
not mine,
stays and muddles
what’s mine and what’s
borrowed.
Author’s note: Lantern is Japanese poetry form shaped visually like a lantern in 1,2,3,4,1 syllables.
Thin string of love
Tying life together,
Lost inside
the thicks beads of
Vile abuses and angry rants,
Found never,
Missed forever…
Author’s note: This is my second attempt at a “first-line story” to break what we all know as a writer’s block. The first line of the story was suggested by GP. I hope I did it justice. 🙂
She wandered aimlessly through the maze, wondering what the surprise was when she emerged.
Her father was holding her hand, of course, afraid that she too will run ahead of him like her brother did. She was constantly barraging her father with questions he had no answer to—how did he know where to turn and which door to take, and how would they find their way back when they have found her brother.
When, and not if…her faith was absolute—nothing untoward could befall her seventeen-year-old brother. He was her hero—fearless, invicible and undestructible.
The maze seemed to be going on forever as they went door after door looking for him. She was sure he would have reached the prize by now and must be waiting for them with the trophy in his hand; or may be it would be a really big teddy, like the one she saw the other day when her brother had taken her to the market. The thought perked her up and she quickened her pace, pushing the doors open before her father could stop her.
She felt her brother before she saw him. The smell of his favourite deodorant and the familiar sound of his favourite love song album filled the room that, she suddenly realised, was his bedroom. The sense of dread filled her heart and her gut told her to close the door before… But, like every time before that, she couldn’t stop herself.
Her brother’s body hung from the ceiling fan—tongue lolling, eyes popped out…
She was screaming until her husband shook her out of the ‘nightmare’ and held her against his heart as he had done for countless nights in the past eight years and her parents did for many more years before that. She sobbed until she drifted into an uneasy sleep, hoping against hope for a dreamless night.
And to think that her brother died believing that no one loved him…
Photo by MontyLov on Unsplash
Your arms curl around me
I snuggle content, hoping to die before
waking to find you gone.
A Haiku is a Japanese form of poetry with 5, 7, 5 syllable combination. Usually, all lines are independent with a least one reference to nature/seasons.
Ab aaye ho? Mujhe dhoondhte jana.
Ek arse se kisi ki yado me gum hu.
___________
English translation:
So, you’ve finally returned? Find me before you leave again.
For ages, I’ve been lost in someone’s memories.
___________
Author’s note: Sher are couplets in Urdu that tell a complete story.
Wake up to find
that the day has changed but life has not.
Office’s still on.
The child still drones on.
Husband mutters in his sleep.
Parents call,
hoping all’s well and all,
with no hope of meeting any time soon,
with responsibilities weighing me down.
Life goes on.
Standing tall,
even when small,
on cracked ground
and storms in sight,
facing fate
with fists clenched,
and face tight.
That’s me.
Who are you?
Image by Ross Stone on Unsplash
Short Stories | Fish-eye Perspective 