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.
Tag: Poetry
Sleepless | Poetry | Lantern
Sleepless
eyes on
night-long vigil
guarding the precious angel
asleep
Bulbul | Sher | Poetry
Wo shaakh sooni hai jis par bulbul gaati thi.
Tanha musafir ka koi ab sahara nhi.
Translation:
The branch sits empty–the Nightingale now gone.
No saviour now for the traveller forlorn.
Khushboo
Tapti mitti khwabo me soundhi khushboo deti h.
Teri rehmat shayad khidhkiyo se dil tak aayi h.
Translation:
I dream of fragrant first rains
in hot and fiery lands–
Through the windows your blessings
sneak into my weary heart.
Author’s note: In Urdu, rains are considered a blessing since they are the harbinger of relief, growth, prosperity and plenty. When the first rain of rainy season touches dry land, the land becomes fragrant and touches the very soul of Indians. It beckons children and adults alike to rush out and feel the raindrops on their faces.
Burning: Lantern
Glaciers
are melting
with jealousy, anger,
hatered; global-warming just
an excuse.
Sher | Lantern: Shazar
Sher:
Khule asmaa me main kabhi udta nahi,
Shazar wo purana agar tootata nhi.
Translation (Lantern):
When
a sheltering
tree falls, you
finally see the limitless
sky.
Author’s note:
- Sher is a form of Urdu poetry where a couplet explains a single idea. While rhyming and a certain letter count is preferred, it is not necessary.
- Lantern is a form of Japanese poetry where words are added in the shape of a lantern (1, 2, 3, 4, 1).
Shukran Allah | Urdu | Poetry
Tere ishq ki deewanagi
tari ho kuchh is tarah,
Wo deewaro me chunwa dein
aur hum kahein, “Shukran Allah!”
English Translation:
Lost in your love so,
When the world immures me
in the walls to kill me,
I wouldn’t know…
I open mail and I see
my bank trying to reach me
offering a loan I didn’t ask for.
Then there are recruiters
mailing me
on a 10 year-old resume
offering me a job
that I needed when
I was still growing teeth.
People are begging me
to take half of their bank account
to get them out of their country.
I have won competitions
I didn’t enter,
and I have won enough lotteries
to make jealous the Arab emporer.
And then, there are
WordPress notices,
and subscription mails from world over…
What I sought and didn’t find
was a single mail
seeking me as a person
(not as a user or a bank account).
No one misses me…
Wherever, Whenever, Forever
You walk across the street
holding my hand tightly,
running slightly,
avoiding the crazed traffic
thinking about the next treat.
…
I follow as fast as I can go,
giggling all over the road,
chasing the wild plans
we cooked together, all along
knowing half of them
wouldn’t come to be.
…
Not sure
where you are steering me,
nor does it matter to me,
for my hand is in yours,
in this knowledge, I am secure,
that you are with me…
…
Wherever I go,
however far I go,
in my half-cooked plans
and crazy schemes
and far-fetched dreams,
you were…
you are…
you will be with me…
Wherever, whenever, forever!
Author’s Note: For Manpreet
(For no particular reason, missing my bestie yet again)
I hate rain!
Raindrop splashes
On my face
Running off makeup
That I hide myself behind–
Eyelashes thin,
Patchy skin,
Wrinkled eyes,
Lips dried,
Cheeks hollowed,
Darkening shadows,
Age creeping with all its might.
With brushes I fight
The unforgiving world
That expects perfection
In nails and shoes
And hair dos.
I wish I didn’t have to.
I wish I could just stand in rain;
So droplets would fall on face;
And let the facade slide.
Sigh!
Short Stories | Fish-eye Perspective 