190. tu tu main main

SB:

teri ik aawaaz ki chahat thi,
tune aawaaz de di hoti to
maine apni jaan de di hoti

Sri:

ijaazat ki intezaar me murjha gayi na jaane kitne hi shab
betalab dastak de jaate to sukoon kuch kam nahin milti!!

SB:

masha alla, kya likha hai

Sri:

kuch aur farmaiye kuch aur farmaiye
jo kaha hi nahin, uspe gaur farmaiye

SB:

yahaan to apni shaam ka anjaam karte hai,
aye mere kalam padhne wale tere dar se khali haath jate hai

Sri:

:)

SB:

aye khuda yun zulum na dikha,
bas apni ek zalak to dikha ja

Sri:

mushkil hi sahi kuch der ye faasle rahne de
tadap tadap ke khwahishein bujhaana sikhaa doon tumhe

SB:

aaj saqi hi bol raha hai
dard-o-gum ko bhul ja
par mera sahara na le

Sri:

saaqi se gila na kar zaalim ke
gunaahgaar yahaan aur bhi hain
pyaale me pyaas bhar bhar ke de
aise yaar yahaan aur bhi hain

189. Sawaal

1.

ghar se nikla to sadak pe
kuch noorani muskaan
bikhre pade the

kya tum
meri gali se hoke nikle the?!

2.

tumhare zahan ki zameen
bahut chikni hai

main apni itni yaadein
tumhare kitne vaade
rakhta hoon
wahaan baar baar

aur wo!
wo thaharte hi nahin

har baar
phisalke nikal jaate hain

aise me
tum hi batao
main kya karoon?!

188. Aabshaar VII

1. Fear of death by love?!

hame khauff hai bhi to ishq me jaan ganwaane ka nahin
bas darte hai is silsile me kahin jannat naseeb na ho jaaye

2. Can I call you in the evening when you are free?

Kabse bejaan hain guftagu se mehroom galiyaan meri
aur aap aawaaz chidak-ke jaan phoonk-ne ki ijaazat maangte hain?

3. The craving for that smile

rah rah-ke kabhi muskura de zaalim
ke mere hisse ki sukoon khatm hone ko hai

4. You never call only!!

sabab-e-sukuut poochte to pata chalta
kis nazm me jaan phansi hai meri

5. The silence that ensued!

der se hi sahin khamoshiyaan jalaa de zaalim
kuch kam raaten nahin guzri, karvaton ka hisaab karte

6. The unpredictability

uski muhabbat bhi kisi begaane mausam ka mohtaaj hai
kabhi rah rahke jalti dhoop aur kabhi bevajah kohra

7. Those who see the poetry, seldom notice the poet! I protest!!

sochte hain alfaazon ka naqaab utaar hi de ab
khamoshi ke bahaane hi sahi deedar kar loge hamara

187. The Protagonist & The Italics

he plucks ripe pauses,
& hangs strips of silence
to dry in the sun.

he touches
the brittle pale yellow sheaves
and they crumble into powdered memories;
the rest -
he pickles in a jar
of spicy dreams.

light years,
are not a whim.
light years,
are not a part of the recipe.
they are just traitors,
by design-
much like
the ringlets of smoke,
he blows into the air.

he steals a half-baked night
& saves it in his closet.

he does not notice anything amiss.
well, he had too many to begin with,
left behind in admiration
by voyeur winds -
the ones he stunned to silence.

(for
he refuses to play
by the script)

he
is the script
inane & convoluted
while his audience
watch with bated breath
though they know the story

(well, he does not)

his audience -
a jar of pickled dreams
& a heap of powdered memories
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