299. The poet

you have a real story there
your pain is so real
it needs to be told
it needs to reach the world
you need to be out there
she was told

she stepped out
of her closet
and
wept her heart out in words
through mascara smears
and ink smudges

hmmm
I know I asked you
to keep it real
but your pain is
too dark
too drab
too depressing
too dressed down

could you give us
something with
more color,
less candor;
more curves,
less creases?

you know what I always advise
women
they should always
leave something
to the imagination

so work
on your emotional grammar
and dress it up a little

see if you could give us
something
more current
more 'now'
less in-the-face
you know what I mean
she was told

she walked out
and walked back
into her closet

she was better off
a private tragedy
than a public comedy
in contemporary syntax

298. चलो चलें

चलो चलें
चलो चलें
अपने रुकने का कोई फ़ायदा नहीं

चलो चलें
चलो चलें
उनके लौटने का कोई कायदा नहीं



उलट-पलटके रख दिया
जो भी हमें जहाँ मिला
उथल-पुथल भटक गया
जो राह में जहाँ मिला

दिल जलाके दिन ढला
चलो चलें
चलो चलें



बुज़ुर्ग सी कहानियों का
ज़िक्र करते हैं हम
यूँ सुर्ख सी निशानियों पे
फक़्र करते हैं हम

बता ज़रा यूँ क्यूँ भला
चलो चलें
चलो चलें



यादों में इक जहाँ है
जिसमे अब कोई जगह नहीं
यादों में जो जहाँ है
उसकी अब कोई वजह नहीं

फ़िज़ूल है ये सिलसिला
चलो चलें
चलो चलें

297. Anticipation

she waits
on her deck
for the sun to set

and as he comes
closer to the hills
smearing the sky
orange
behind him

she plucks him

puts him
in the coin slot

and waits
in anticipation

maybe
the sun 
this evening
would be enough
to finally buy herself
a ticket
to a different tomorrow

296. Anonymous

take away my words

veil all familiar faces

erase all my history

label my desires trivial

strip me of reasons to move

deem me incongruous

and soon
i will become
anonymous

295. The prophecy

those who skin all the lands
for their vain and vacant reasons
will soon strip all the skies
off all the songs and seasons

for all that they toil for
they will deservedly earn
soon all their worlds will burn
soon all their worlds will burn

those who hail the victors
those who smear the dead
won't last here for long
will soon end near the dead
so mind you - you will survive
so long as you fear the dead

for the dead alone know
all that there is to learn
that all your worlds will burn
that all your worlds will burn

look twice and then some more
before you turn a believer
the truth - she is, but, an old myth
don't trust her at all; just leave her
fools who claim to know it all
their minds play tricks and conjure her
the wise stay wise in distrust
fools alone, ever, are surer

surer still to bring us down
before it will be our turn
and all our worlds will burn
and all our worlds will burn

--
like someone wise once said
better be paranoid than dead

294. कहाँ लाए हो पिया

कहाँ लाए हो
पिया

अलग सारे
शहर मुहल्ले

कहाँ लाए हो
पिया

कैसे गुज़ारे
पहर निठल्ले

कहाँ लाए हो
पिया

लाए हो
पिया
कहाँ लाए हो
पिया

--

देखी नहीं थी
पहले कभी यूँ

सर उठाए रंग शाखे
रह गयी दंग आँखें

गहने कई
पहना गयी
आके बहारें
ज़ेवर इनके गल्ले

कहाँ लाए हो
पिया

--

हल्की सी आँखें
भारी सी यादें

बेवजह तंग आँखें
उलझी पतंग आँखें

उड़ न सकें
मुड न सकें
तू ही बता रे
ठहरें या निकल लें

कहाँ लाए हो
पिया

--

A song talking about the marvel and the discomfort, right after moving. :)
PS: Spring is beautiful.