182. Ek Kahaani Aur!

woh nahin aaya

parson tak woh roz aaya karta tha
saayon ka libaas pahne
bujhti saanjh ke saahil se hote hue

meri peshani pe rukta
aur intezaar karta
mere sone ka

jaise hi main
kisi muskuraati karvat ko chun leta
woh haule se, bina aahat kiye
meri aankhon me utar jaata

aur us mod se nikalta
jahaan main woh
ek sau satrah taaron wali potli
rakha karta hoon...

kabhi kabaar woh ek taara chura leta
aakhir amaanat to usi ki thi
aur us taare ki roshni me
meri aankhon ke galiyaaron se guzarta
jahaan woh hairat se dekhta
maine kaise
uske shab-o-roz
beraham-o-besabab se
qaid rakhe hain
na jaane kitne kamron me

woh aahat to nahin karta
par kuch jaamani rang ke maile saaye chod jaata
mere naarangi deewaron pe

par woh pichli raat
to nahin aaya
na jaane kyun

yun bhi nahin ke main
bedaar baitha tha

koi poocho use
kisi kaanton wale taare se
lagke kahin ungli to nahin kaat li
usne apni

aur haan
ye bhi poochna
kahin woh meri syaah aankhon me
yaadon ke nau hazaar maale
dekhkar
darr to nahin gaya
-------------------------------
that
was inspired!
this
is inspiring!!

181. Aabshaar VI

1.
Nayyy, time cannot be an anagram!!

lamhen nichodoon to yaadein tapak jaati hain
ungli jo chodoon to raahein bhatak jaati hain

tajjub hai - waqt to kabhi rasta nahin bhatakta
----------------------------------------
2.
- So?!
- ham na... (pauses) kuch nahin! nothing important!!
- (grunts) hmmm! (breaks into a laugh)

muskuraa lo ke main khushfahami aazmaaya nahin karta
kaif-asar khwahishein meri yun hi sunaaya nahin karta

----------------------------------------
3.
- What do you think?!
- (rolls eyes) I think that you think too much!!

shamme bujhaate muamme suljhaate waqt katne se raha
bas itna bata de main apni shaam kahaan chod aaoon
-----------------------------------------
4.
- How are you?
- Fine, just about! (smiles and looks away)
- Why are you like this? What does one do with you?! (smiles)


bedaar-o-betaab karke hame yun
hamse hamara mijaaj na poocho
marz-e-masarrat lagaaya tumhi ne
khud hamse ilaaj na poocho

180. Paigaam

pichli raat bhi
main aasmaan se guzar raha tha;
wahi - har shab ki tarah!
thode taare jode ungliyon se;
thode taare pheeke pad rahe the to
tod bhi diye

kisi kahkashaan se guzar raha tha
to dekha ke
khalbali si machi hui thi!

kisi ne payaam choda tha mere liye
wahaan par;
shaayad pata hoga ki
main wahaan se aksar guzarta hoon...

maine taaron ko tatola
to lifaafa mila
us shaqs ne
kuch noorani khayaal
aur kuch sunahre alfaaz
pahnaake
mere naam
ik ummeed rakh di thi
kisi taare ki hatheli me!

lifafe me
thodi si khushfahami bhi thi
thodi si badgumaani bhi
aur ek tasveer thi
jispe muskaan ki aamad se
un rukhsaaron me yun bhanvar pad rahe the
jinme saare taare doob-ke bujhne lage the

aise me khalbali kyun nahin machti?!

main
us payaam-o-tasveer ko
apni neeli kameez me baandhke
waapis to laut aaya hoon

par sochta hoon
is dafa jo jaaoon
aasmaan pe
to wahaan se na lautoon...

kya pata
wahaan pe mere liye
us shaqs ne aur bhi
payaam chode ho?!
---------------------------------
Could I live in the stars?
Could I be your neighbour?!

baatein

Barks and bites!! lolm lolm lolm :) :)

------------------------------------

guftaar nahin deedaar nahin
bevajah yun ham bedaar nahin

kah-ne sun-ne ko hai to bahut
bas tu sun-ne ko tayyaar nahin

sukuun-e-sukuut thi apni kabhi
par ab kahin uske aasaar nahin

khamoshi mere hisse ki khatm
ab lafzon ka koi shumaar nahin

tu thahra badgumaani ka ghulaam
kisi baat pe bhi aetbaar nahin

haan, hai khaamiyon ki dukaan meri
par tu kuch kam aebdaar nahin

-----------------------------------

Shush! dont speak!! :D

178. mujhko aawaaz de - II

Quit Caution - For the one who wants to tread where fools don't!! :) :) :)

-----------------------------

ehteyaat ab bahut ho chuka beraham
ab to kar de yahaan se wahaan parde

dareecha-e-nigaah kab se shaffaaf hai
kuch na aaye nazar sab dhuaan kar de

fiqr-e-furqat to fitrat me apni na thi
ab khalaon me apne nishaan bhar de

kitna masroof hai tu kitna mashghool hai
koi fursat meri thodi wahaan par de

hai giraftaar teri aahon me shab meri
kuch to kar, ab to inko rihaa kar de

dasht-e-falak pe sitaare tishnaakaam kyun
saraabon me mashroob-e-muskaan bhar de

sukhanwar bana hai ye kaayal tera
aake chuule ise bezubaan kar de

------------------------------------------------

Ehteyaat : Caution
Dareecha: Window
Shaffaaf: Transparent
Furqat: Separation
Khalaon; Vacuum, Space
Masroof, Mashghool : Busy, Occupied
Dasht: Desert
Falak: Sky
Tishnaakaam: Thirsty
Saraab : Mirage
Mashroob : Drink
Sukhan war: Poet

:)

The last line, though, is a rip-off from another piece of mine

177 Come again

:) :) :) :)
------------------------
then i was scared
now i am armed
well, you just stare
and lo, i am charmed

you stand and smoke
and draw me near
i touch and stroke
till the dawn is here

you come and go
i fill the time
you raise a brow
i write a rhyme

why can't i smudge your neck
when you are sober and sane
oh please, what the heck
will you please come again?!

-------------------------------------
When sense
is an inconvenience!!

176. Mehmaan

bezubaan bhi nahin hamzubaan bhi nahin
guftagu kya karen tu yahaan bhi nahin

aake kuch yun gaya shaam kya sahar kya
ab to mere yahaan aasmaan bhi nahin

ho bhi to kya gumaan, kya karoon ab gila
tu beraham bhi nahin, meherbaan bhi nahin

tha kaarnaama kisi kaif-asar raat ka
karen guroor koi aisi daastaan bhi nahin

soch le ke har koi dilchasp lagta hai mujhe
ummeed hai tu aisa badgumaan bhi nahin

pichli dafaa tha kaha bas bula le mujhe
ab dikhake gaya tu kaa'iyaan bhi nahin

------------------------------------

kaif-asar = intoxicating
kaa'iyaan = miser
badgumaan = suspicious
hamzubaan = one who speaks the same language

sometimes the intended audience does not know Hindi (terrible!), so there! :D :D
-------------------------------------
It's incomplete but i don't want to think, yaa!!

175. The Poet

there,
he has done it
to me.

he has framed
my stillborn pauses
in lively silhouettes

the callused cobblestone streets
now sprout
insane anecdotes

the nights come donned
in crumpled sheaves of sleep;
and the days, once grey,
are now stained with hope

my months are no longer about
just changing faces on walls
my journeys no longer about
just counting stars

he stalks me around
and whispers unholy truth
unveiling colorful worlds
erasing my happy ending

i could shout bloody murder;
but how would that resurrect
my dead grey itinerary?

and even if i want to,
tell me-
how does one
hang an apparition
to death?

174. Kaafir Nigaahen

uljhi khayaalon ke kaayal teri kaafir nigaahen
galiyon me jaan phoonke musaafir nigaahen

.............................................

kitne shaharon me pahrein tatole hain tune

kya pata kitne koochon me kharchein lafz kitne
chand safhon ke badle saansein bas ek din ki

kitne chehre yun thahre batore hain tune

pata pooch-ke peecha karti hain kiska
wo mile jo thahar le muntazir nigaahen

....................................

kahaaniyaan yeh kaisi bichhake rakhi hain

kal ko khaali kiya, aaj phir bhar chala tu
kaale konon me khone chale, chod bhi de

nishaaniyaan kyun aise bachake rakhi hain

badgumaani bujhaa den zaraa kah de inhe tu
syaah kar den ye manzar musavvir nigaahen

173. Troubadour

Of werewolves
and dinosaurs

Of tigers
and troubadours!!

------------------------------

Have you ever watched evenings leave tattoos
on vermillion windows?

Have you ever patched your walls up with blue words
talking of
the skies in some eyes on restless days
the storms in some gasps on turbulent nights?

Have you ever pawned pieces of your thoughts;
Have you ever gambled moments away
to send smiles
flying out
each dawn?

Have you ever tried out faces
Have you ever tried on places
and left creases
on wild stranger winds?

Have you ever lived
in checkered hearts?
Did you like them?

Tell me all this
Troubadour
and tell me some more

Maybe,
you can help me find
my share of silence!

----------------------------------------

when one borrows pieces of yesterday...
like I said...
shuffling memories!! :)

Because some questions do not change!!

172. My Share of Silence

-----------------------

Blow life into...
Have conversations with...

Wild gusts
of dusty wind

A flickering screen
of fairy tales

The raw potato
and the bent knife

Strange friends
Friendly stranger

Old yellow pages
crumbling to pieces
under a light touch

The never-ending flight
of stairs

Obstinate visions
Seductive beats

Smiles flying by
on busy streets

------------------------

The last time
it took three days
to spot a tiger in the wild

------------------------

Was I asleep when
he walked by me
while my share of silence
left dancing freckles
on his skin?

-------------------------

Once upon a time
not too long ago
in a land not too far away

-------------------------

Sometimes
I wonder
if
my life is an anagram

Maybe
I have already seen
the vermillion stains and the camouflaged stripes
the grand ending

Maybe
I am just living
some white noise

Maybe
all I need to do is
shuffle my memories
to find my share of silence

-------------------------

171. Maa

Maa,
aaj-kal rahne ko itne ghar ho gaye hain
ke main be-ghar sa ho gaya hoon

yaad hai mujhe
ik woh bachpan ka ghar tha

jahaan chimney se rah rahke eent baraste the

chat jab jab tapakta to
ham saare ghar ko
bartan se sajaate the

raaton ko jab bijli chali jaati
to tum koi puraani akhbaar se hawaa chalati thi
taaki ham jaag na jaaye

kabhi kabhi chuttiyon ke dopaharon me
ham ek rupaye - aath aane wali kulfi khareed-kar
ghante bhar uska mazaa lete the

aur itvaar ko
teenon
bistar pe lete lete
radio suna karte the

wahi radio jo baaki dinon
hamari ghadi ka kaam karta tha
kya tha woh
saat baje - 'paadi pantalu'
saade saat - 'vaartalu'
aath baje - 'archana'
aur phir - 'janaranjani'

bewaqt barsaatein hoti thi
to ham bhaagte the
woh kapde laane
jo chat pe sukhaaye the

deedee aur main har raat ladte
bistar ke daaye aur sone ke liye
tumhare paas

mahine me ek baar
ham palang ka 'navaar' theek karte

tumhe report dikhaane ke liye
ham donon kitna darr jaate the
----------------------------------------

sochta hoon -
is dafaa jab ghar aaoon , Maa,
har raste ka ek sira
tumhare edhi ko baandh-ke
lautoon!

Phir har shaam
jo bhi rasta pakdoon,
bas ghar pahunch jaaon
tumhare paas!!

Deedee

yun mahakti nigaahon se dekhe
sunaaye koi saundhi khabar
sooni aankhon me bhar de bahaaren
har subah

kabhi baaton me din ye utaare
aur ladaaye gappe raat bhar
badgumaani se mujhko pukaare
bevajah

woh gila bhi kare to mazaa hai
har gali khaamiyon se bhara
aise andaaz se maare taane
kya kahen

beech baazar ye jashn kar le
jo dikhe jooton ki dukaan
edhiyaan gungunaaye taraane
kya kahen
-----------------------------
:D :D :D

169. teri kya kahaani hai

Pagli
The harmless flirtation - The Beginning

qaatilaana si tajveez hai kabhi, jee kare to khud hi taaweez hai
girte sambhalte, samajhke ye chalna- mera ishq kya cheez hai
tujhi se churaake jaan,chupte chupaate, tujhi ko parosa kare
kos le aur dua de, tujhi ko de dhokha,tujhi pe bharosa kare

bas aana tha jaana tha
par kyun ruk gaya

bolo bolo jaldi bolo

tera kya bahaana tha
teri kya kahaani thi
--------------------------------
Nigli
The hopeless illusion - The Saga

fursat thi furqat thi, qurbat ki hasrat kii, do pal faasle bhi gaye
lamhein mangaaye jo,der aaye bahut, aur aake chale bhi gaye
kahin raat tooti, silwat bani aasmaan pe, magar fiqr kare bhi to kyun
jannat me the, jeene marne ki baaton ka koi zikr kare bhi to kyun

ek pal bhi aashiyaana tha
yun dil rakh chala

bolo bolo jaldi bolo

tera kya bahaana tha
teri kya kahaani thi
--------------------------------------
Agli
The ruthless enlightenment - The Aftermath

meri raat nikli sarakhti sarakhti jaake tere shab se mili
koi baat pichli bhooli si bhoole se haule mere lab se giri
yaadon ki bori, kholi chori chori, khoja jo mila hi nahin
soorat jo badli hai, seerat bhi badli, ab tumse gila bhi nahin


bhool gayi kya bataana tha
tu kyun chup khada

bolo bolo jaldi bolo

tera kya bahaana hai
teri kya kahaani hai
---------------------------------------------

ek din ka hi thikaana tha
phir darwaaza dikhaana tha
tumhe bas aana tha jaana tha
kisne bola ke bajna bajaana tha

aur tum kya kya kar gaye, babu

bolo bolo jaldi bolo

tera kya bahaana tha
teri kya kahaani thi
:D :D :D

yes yes, slight insanity is happening off!!

168. Sultry Summons

do not cringe your nose
do not take our names
loudly on the streets
when will chinese whispers
go out of vogue?!

when eternity is crammed into a paperback
or a bean bag
an abridged edition
becomes a collector's item

so what do you like-
history
or science fiction?

but then i swear
but then i swear
today isn't
as hopeless as yesterday
neither is it
as restless as tomorrow

oh no,
you wistful listless railway platform
let me kill all hope
and make your day

I am sure,
I left your version
somewhere here

thank god
the truth changes
with the audience
--------------------------------------------
he asked me - "are you?"
i answered - "i could be; do you want me to?"

167. Clouds

Ok ok.. I know it looks like a monsoon marathon. But aren't they rather rather seductive and addictive, these rains?! well.. awright!! I shall get over my obsession with the rains and yes, the word 'rather'!!
----------------------------------------------
No purpose or desire but to tease the senile scorching sun,
this summer, all the sky wore were some wispy lone clouds.

Just some cold color, but neither shape nor substance;
today why do you feel like you are my clueless clone, clouds?

Why do I always invite strangers to show my stories to?
Yet again I am talking of you to uninterested unknown clouds

I lived in a dream where winds were love messengers;
How did I reach this city where each day they bemoan clouds?

Do not taunt my rain-warriors with your dull black umbrellas
Either match my seductive season or go- get your own clouds

Please take away these hideous mirrors that morph monsoons
I show them paper rainbows, they show me woe begone clouds

Some move on with time, Sadiq, while others just melt away
Come, for a change, let us try & put up some stone clouds!

166. Barsaati

ulatke tirchi ambar barse
jogan baithi bheetar tarse

bhog chadhake megh mangaaye
ab to kundi bajaa de baalam
chunariya ke chaanv, bajariya na jaaoo
ik barsaati laa de baalam

chanda bujhake chap chap rakh de edhi chat pe rain
chikne gagan se tap tap tapke tedhe chat pe rain
thaali parose raah main dekhoon
bujhe bujhe chulhe pe nindiya senkoon
luk-chup dheere dheere, laake jhini jhini heere
boondon se bindiyaa sajaa de baalam

saanjh ko angna se uthaake bhagaa gayi phir mui boondein
rain bhar mera dar khatkaake jagaa gayi phir mui boondein
ghat ghat-ke ghataa dar keel se chode
milon har raah ye jheel si odhe
saundhi dagariya pe aundhe se sheeshon me
apni suratiya dikhaa de baalam

165. Barsaati

a. Why is it so difficult to find an umbrella which is pretty yet proper?! I refuse to bow down to convention and get myself a hopelessly boring black umbrella!! Let the skies pour down on me. I care two hoots!! I shall possess only a nice umbrella, if at all!! Will someone find me one?!

luk-chupke badra se bach na sakoongi, khul gayi mujh pe bhed
mujhe ik barsaati laa de baalma, ambar me pad gaya ched

PS: those of you who will go looking for one, be informed - my color for this season is green!!

164. The journey to the other side

They served death with breakfast
today
when sleeping adjectives came to life
to do a charade
again for a while
only to go back into hibernation

And paunches
still rhyme with
haunches

Exclamation!!

The sky comes down in shards
every now and then.
There is always
too much
or too little!

Listen,
all the purple questions
on the table in my drawing room
are colored so,
to keep you from noticing
the brown hypocrite.
Stay amused;
stay entertained.
Just do not look further.

When one can't beat them,
one joins them.
What one can't cure,
one endures.

I know-
plastic flowers
don't smell real;
but well,
they don't wilt either!

163. Aabshar - V

a. Today B and I were having a conversation where 'marathon' became a metaphor and he insisted we 'train' in public. :D :D :D and when I feigned embarassment, he said - "Jisne kii sharam, uske phoote karam". Lolm!!! :D :D

chalo ab ham yeh bhi kaam kar len
tujhe ruswaa mujhe badnaam kar len
darwaazein to rasmein puraane hai
jo bhi karna hai khule aam kar len

Lolm.. Don't give that look!! I won't go through with it! I haven't gotten there yet!! :D :D

162. ek raat ki mehmaan

Last evening, I was sitting at the window listening to saiyyan by kailash kher staring at the rainy outdoors. And it hit me, like it does sometimes!! I have tried defying the cycle; but admit I have failed!! Sometimes I wish I could talk of that 'awfulness' inside when I feel it as easily as I talk of 'awesomeness'; maybe with time!!

------------------------------------------------------

jabse tum gaye ho
mulaqaat hoti rahti hai tumse
shab-o-roz
kahne ko sab badal gaya hai
dekhne ko kuch nahin badla
ham roo ba roo baithe rahte hai
guftagoo sahte rahte hain
kahin kahin pehle se manzar bhi mil jaate hai
aur main raat ke ek-aadh pahar
guzaar leti hoon us puraane mausam me
aur subah naashte ke saath saath

koi note chod jaata hai
mujhe yaad dilaane ke liye
main to bas
ek raat ki mehmaan thi

jabse tum gaye ho
main thak gayi hoon
daakiye ko batate huye ke
tum ab yahaan nahin rahte
jab tum paas the
tab maine apne chaukhat pe
tumhare naam ki muskaan taangi thi
apni daastaan ki numaish karte hue
ab yeh pheeki muskaan mere haathon utarti nahin
aur aate jaate musafir
khat chod jate hai dar pe mere
mubaarak-baat dete hue

ab main inhe kaise bataoon-
tumhari zindagi me
main to bas
ek raat ki mehmaan thi

jabse tum gaye ho
saanjh aake jhaankti hai
haan, maine tumhe tohfe me dene ke liye
baadalon me lipti hui bahut si shaamein mangaayi thi
tumhe barsaatein behad pasand hai, na?!
ab yeh har roz aake poochti hain
"woh hain?"
aur main bas khamosh si barasti rahti hoon
unke sang dareeche pe baithe baithe
aur raat ko
tumhari shaql tahalti rahti hai
aankhon me

subah ko rukne ko kahoon
to kahti hai-
"main to bas
ek raat ki mehmaan thi"

jabse tum gaye ho
tumhari yaadon ke safhe udte nahin
bas seene me pade-pade peele pad rahe hai

tum gaur karte kabhi to
dekhte
maine bhi koshish kii thi
ke tumhare jahaan me apne thode nishaan chod doon
shaam ke benaam rasmon me
roz ke betaab paigaamon me
lafzon ke besabr tohfon me

ab farq to nahin padta
par ek sawaal bedaar sa baitha hai seene me
kya
meri yaadein
kam-z-kam
ek raat ki mehmaan thi?!

161. History

I am listening to "Where do you go to, my lovely?!" and it is all coming back again... The terrifying JBness ... no, no, NO...!! This can't return... can't be happening!!
I am a reformed person now! Or was I deluding myself?!! I just need some sleep; maybe!

----------------------------------------------

What does one do -
when yesterday becomes tomorrow?
when the day suffers while the night sins?
when the ritual becomes a rule?

What does one do
when the snowflakes do not let hexagons go
out of fashion?

What does one do?

What?!
-----------------------------------------------------
I am scared; tell me something nice and interesting, quick!!

160. Aabshaar IV

a. Now this is not written by me. B today sent me this 'coz I was too busy to reply to his messages. He hasn't written them either, I am sure!! But ain't it really sweet?! I love the lines... so decided they deserve a place here! :) :) :) and despite the horrendous horrendous way the day was going, I ended up smiling! Thank you! :)

Hue masroof woh is qadar
qadar hamari na rahi
kahen kis-se haal-e-dil
ab kis-se fariyaad karen

lagta hai unke shahar ka
har shaks begana sa
kahaan jaa-ke ab ham
dil ki basti aabaad karen

hota tha bada shor
pahlu mein jis dil ke
hua khaak jalte jalte
ab kise nashaad kare

kab tak rahen zinda
teri ummeed ke sahare
talaash-e-sukoon me ab
kaun kambakht na jaa mare!!

------------------------------------------------

b. I am tired of waiting... so wrote this today!! if you know what I mean :D

Where are you
while my mondays are blue
and my fridays green;
you know what I mean?

While dark is dusty
and light is murky
while days are musky
and nights are quirky,

where ARE you, cotton clouds...
WHERE are you?!!!

:) :) :) and yeah!! I got a dozen reassuring 'I-am-here-only' replies when I put this up as my status message!! :) Thank you!! Louuvvee you off bigly bigly!!! :) :)
-----------------------------------
yeah... at 8:41 on a friday I am at work.. Don't gimme that sad sorry look! don't gimme that horrified look either! nor the disgusted cringed nose look!!
anybody giving looks... Can you see my finger?!! :D :D :D
ok ok ok... shush ...!! back to work... theekke?!

159. Aabshaar - III

a. I was dying at work, yesterday ... and the act is still in present continuous!! Hey congratulate me, I have adopted a new pseudonym - Sadiq; ain't it nice? I know! I know!! :D :D :D

ek mehfil thi teri, Sadiq, abek mazhaar hai mez pe tere
ye kaisa junoon hai ki daftar me dafn hone chala tu bhi

----------------------------------------------------

b. I was flirting with B(yet another guy) and he was trying to write verses for me... and failed (but aawww!! so cute!! :D :D)

Paanv pada jo aasmaan pe, hawaon pe ab shikan se bane
Kah do – aur koshish na kare, baithe rahe bas roobaroo mere

---------------------------------------------------

c. Yes, my ode to Murphy Mornings where Murphy came around to screw me yet again!!(For those who know not- he is the guy who ensures that everything that can go wrong , does! Yes, I have been trying to dump him for ages - 'coz he was cheating on me. I realised he is screwing the whole world, not me alone!!)
Anyways, about morning today - crowded trains.. sloowww autos... and other slow phenomenon .. yes, talking about Jimbu, the man!!
my ode to the pains in my life!!

duniya, tu bahaane maang khadi
kahin taang adi, lee chalaang badi

phir ret pe pahiye phisalne lagi
ghadiyaan sadiyon si chalne lagi

fursat kabse dukaan me tangi padi
bikti hi nahin, hai mahangi badi

har roz me hai kyun kam waqt- bata
jitna bhi hai, kyun hai kambakht- bata

marammat kar, mue ki, mere maalik
marammat kar mue ki, maula mere

---------------------------------------------------

yes yes, I louuvveee you all!!! :D :D :D

158. Aabshaar - II

a.
teri aahaton ki aad me chehra aata nahin nazar
shaayad mere aaine ki tarajuma sahin nahin

teri sohbat ke sukoon ke badle sood me meri yeh jaan
yun maangna ae mere meherbaan sahin nahin

sadakon pe subah ki shaql surkh si hai aaj bhi
naqsh-o-rasm wahin hai par tajariba wahin nahin

muskurake de diya hamne apni sabz ye zameen
badle me de gaye ho tum khaali aasmaan. sahin nahin

---------------------------------------------------

b.
raah phir wahin chale par kaayde alag se hain
baat phir wahin chale par maayne alag se hain
raat khatm kar doon ab; yeh baat khatm kar doon ab
apne dil ke purzon ki poori zaat khatm kar doon ab

---------------------------------------------------

c.
neend dhoondh-ne chale to phir subah milti hai kyun?
kisi aad me aap hi ki baat har jagah milti hai kyun?
jitne dafaa kii koshishein ke apna dil bujha hi de
phir se dil jalaane ki hame vajah milti hai kyun?

------------------------------------------------------

mediocrity has a new home; and I am not going to evict it anytime soon!!!

157. The Vain and The Cursed

It is difficult to ignore
your porcelain face!
You say you want to live
on my door to ward off love and pain;
but I don't need corals
to adorn my desires.

Did it ever happen
that you spent the evening
at the casino at the end of the street
playing roulette with your emotions
to gamble pieces of yourself away?

Did it ever happen
that you tried hard to choose
the right color for your cushions
only to realise each color has a story
and none can be your favorite ever again?

Did it ever happen
that your secret fears
were on air for the late night comedy
and you tried in vain to disown them?

Did it ever happen
that you returned to your apartment
fleeing from the world
only to find it was too small
for you to fall apart?

Did it ever happen
that you tried to simplify
the equation
only to open a few more brackets?

I have lived in that neighbourhood
forever

But I still don't have a Gorgoneion on my door
nor do I own a mirror shield
my ruby red companions
are still at full mast

Medusa
you can't turn me into stone!!

156. The pleasantly sore evening encounter

I should have been warned
that godzilla could be beautiful
while still being insidious

I should have been warned
that there was no point
pruning my chocolate-brown love nest
just because the tide was low

I should have been warned
that hurricanes change course
at short notice-
sometimes without notice-
and ravage the coast

I should have been warned
that silence is an aphrodisiac
and my heart is an amnesiac

I should have been warned
of neon lamps and mirages
and wet paint and dry ice

I should have been;
but well, I was not!

and so there I was
making a death wish
in a foreign language

Though the beach bon-fire tried hard
to scorch the sea
we died together
with a piece of him in me,
while his moans left rocks
on the virgin shore
which the wild warm waves
couldn't wash away.

Thank god,
I chose to ditch our funeral date
Thank god
he did not wake up for breakfast!!

155. Aabshaar-I

This is when I collate all my thoughts about all the inconsequential things over a week or so; and present it all at a time... whenever I find time, that is!!
Clearly Vella I am, no??!!! :D :D :D

.................................................................................

a. There is this handwriting analyst(lets call him X) I was hopelessly flirting with and had written him a verse; Aravind (who had nothing to do with this yet believes he can be a part of any conversation in this world) replies... It deserves a post 'coz it's hilarious... here's to you, Aravind!! and yes, I still hate you, Loser Aatma!! :D :D :D

Me:
Tahriir padhke tasveer parakhne wale, bata
kaisa chehra banaate hain musavvir alfaaz mere

Aravind:
Nihaayati badsoorat chehra banaate hai tumhare alfaaz miyaan
inhe dekhkar to aaine me bhi daraar pad jaaye

-----------------------------------------------------------
b. J had to do this amusing job today - where he has to type in a wadever to his database and his database replies to him after 3 hours.... wooowww!!! :P

kishton me guftagu karna hai pesha uska
sabr ka sabaq seekhne ka munaafa milta hai

------------------------------------------------------------
c. I am asked to decide what color I want my walls to be... I, who have a default setting of confusion, clumsiness and craziness!! I will live with whatever, no?! Don't ask me to choose!! No, no, no, no!!

marz utha leta hai jo har dar pe
us mareez se marzi poochna
munaasib nahin, Maula mere

mil jaaye jo bhi manzil pe
manzoor hai mujhe
mubaarak woh manzar
------------------------------------------------------------

154. The Prostitute

Warning: Viewer discretion requested. Some of you may find the content objectionable!! But what the heck, yaar! blog mera hai na!!

--------------------------------------------------------------------
I now am open/ for business;
do you want a ride tonight?
this or that /or this and that-
that you decide tonight!

You old bachelor/ Gere look-alike,
don't you look so forlorn.
Screw all the girls /who turned you down
I'll be your bride tonight!

Johny Darling!/ But haven't you
turned eighteen but today?!
And you already/ want to do something
you've never tried tonight?!

Ha ha!! /My sexy loyalist,
Role play it is again, eh?
Why else would you/ act just so coy
and try to hide tonight?!

You naughty boy/ you naughty boy
you want me to whip your butt?!
Where are my cuffs?Now let us have
you bound and tied tonight!!

You sexy hunk/ in Armani!
Don't, you, just stand and stare!!
Night after night, I've seen you here;
just come inside tonight!!
winks

Oh, you /insatiable monster
what haven't I done with you?
It's almost dawn,/ I hope that you
are satisfied tonight!!

------------------------------------------
How dare you slap me /across my face,
you son of a gun?
Don't treat me like this/ 'coz I'm here
to pawn my pride tonight.

Shut up you bitch/ or I'll smack you again
who do you think you are?
You are a whore/ just stay a whore
and open wide tonight!

153. ... and me!

ok... my mind was just acting up... I realised!! and also that nothing is the end of the world. :) :)

-------------------------------------------------------

This evening I walked out alone. There was just the city and me.
a horde of empty hours lined up. Tear-jerkers and hilarity and me

My heart is dis-oriented. What it proposed, I declined. of course.
all it had on the mind for the evening. some hopeless self-pity and me?!

I found a much better plan which suited my mood and the weather,
the perfect one - my playlist, my dancing shoes lying pretty and me.

Oh my love story. it ended last night again. but well, what's new, I say!
Don't you worry! We are great friends - hope, serendipity and me!!

My sense will fail me again when someone nice meets me this weekend;
Same old story again- silence, vibes, someone sexy and witty and me!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Checked the mirror & found why the last one turned me down in a hurry
Don't we look kinda like reaalllyy similar, that alien thing - ET and me?!
:D :D :D :D

152. My Taj Mahal

I wrote this, aeons ago ; the context, then, was fictitious!
I felt like editing it and reposting it again... so there!!
My mind has called in sick... so you will only get to listen to borrowed and/or old words for a while now, until it reports back!! :) :) :) enjoy nonetheless!!
---------------------------------------------
Why do I write of love?

It is neither pressing
nor impressing
nor depressing

Why do I write of love?

It knows no grammar
It holds no glamour

Then why do I write of
the skies in his eyes on restless days
the storms in my gasps on turbulent nights

Why?

---------------------

I keep moving on
from one story to another
leaving tombs on dead ones
in faceless times
in nameless places
clueless
about the next tombstone.

-----------------------

In the courtyard next to mine,
they are celebrating.

Another love story died today.

Time for yet another Taj Mahal
a tomb
not for a lost lover
but for a love story
dead & dusted.

So tonight
I write of love
I write my last Taj Mahal .

until tomorrow.

-------------------------------------------------

raat yeh bhi guzar jaayegi...

I give in to borrowed words...
for the first time, I post something not mine at all... here...

Gulzar takes over...

ek wo din bhi the
ek ye din bhi hai
ek wo raat thi
ek ye raat hai
raat ye bhi guzar jaayegi

waqt saalon ki dhundh se nikal jaayega
tera chehra nazar se pighal jaayega
aankh band hogi to
neend aa jaayegi

raat ye bhi guzar jaayegi!!

While the mood swings under the tanned sky...

spew venom
sew buttons
rue the night
sue the knight

write rhymes
fight time
bite steaks
white flakes

twiddle fingers
middle fingers
muddle shots
huddle thoughts

watch palindromes
catch fallin' gnomes
patch some torn season
match and scorn reason

I douse my days
and hand-paint desires
they grouse and say
I am but a quaint liar

the sky has been tanning
near the sun forever
should we dye it again
or just set it on fire?
---------------------------------------
I refuse to answer any questions...
by the way, my 150th post ... :D
God save the world!!

I try to wake up
just die to make up
too wry to break up
ask why to take up

and yes of course, my obsession with the sky!!

main abdullaa

shahar me aao phir jo kabhi
mujhko bhi bula lena

shaadi begaani hi sahin
main bhi abdullaa deewaana

---------------------
Dedicated to a stranger soul who came visiting town this week - he likes my blog apparently!! Thanks...! :) :) :)

andha kuaan

kaash
tera koocha bhi hota
ik andha kuaan

main
jitni baar
aawaaz diye jaati

jawaab
na milta na sahin

kam-z-kam
meri aawaaz ki goonj to laut aati

aarzoo meri

aarzo meri hai ke ye talti nahin
yun na dekho mujhe meri galti nahin

dil ke nakhre yeh sabhi ko to maloom hai
iske aage kisi ki bhi chalti nahin

ishq me aks mera bhi hairaan hai
shaql meri mujhi se milti julti nahin

raat dar pe mere der aayi bahut
ab jo aayi hai ghar se nikalti nahin

aazmaaye hai tarkieb har kism ke
uski neeyat nikammi phisalti nahin

main bhi kuch kam nahin jaake kah do use
baar baar main bhi marzi badalti nahin

---------------------------------
hoon deewani jiski woh kaayal kisi aur ka
sadiyon se ye kahaani badalti nahin

at 1:30 am in the night standing outside Takshila after a long day...
wierdness..!!

garmiyaan

aaj ki raat
maine khidhki se
aasmaan dekha to
yaad aaya

maine kabhi
nookele chaand se
tumhari qatl karne ki
saazish kii thi

yaad hai?!

aajkal
ek to tum
bade masroof rahte ho
aur chaand bhi
jaldi me rahta hai...

suno na...
is khwaish ka
kuch karo bhi...
is zaalim ne tabse
mera nabz
roke rakha hai

ab tum kabhi
fursat me
aake mar jaao
mere haathon;
yaa main hi mar jaaongi
baithe baithe
intezaar me

aaoge?

Screw you!!

Think I eat up all your space?
Go - find another place!!
Screw you!

Think I am just another face?
I know a gazillion ways (to)
Screw you!!

----------------------------------------------------

Take me up; Try me out
Believe me – if you don’t,
screw you!

On your knees, and say please
Then I guess, maybe I won’t
screw you!!

-----------------------------------------------------
A long day at work... and a trip into my archives!! :D :D :D
Arey baba... don't look so alarmed also!! :P :D :D

pareshaan

ye kiski shaql hai jo uthti hai utarti hai

baaraha kyun rah rahke ye pardon se guzarti hai

ye kaisa shaqs hai jo har pahar ka mehmaan hai

keh do - naa laute kabhi yaa aake thahar jaaye

main kuch samjhi nahin!!

agle din pe ugte tinke
kuch kuch purze guzre din ke
chehre kuch dhundhle hai jinke
farsh pe rakh diye gin ginke

khayaal banke laut aaye ho

pak jaate hain murjhaate hain
ud jaate hain muk jaate hain
kooche khaali kar jaate hain
ud ud-ke phir thak jaate hain

sawaal banke laut aaye ho

Ishq to kar jaani!!!

As Filmy as I can get!! What do you expect from a soul who wakes up listening to Mar jaani mar jaani... buaahahaaa...!!! so my version of mar jaani!! :D :D :D
Ruk kyun gaye bajao!!!

ishq to kar jaa
ishq to kar jaa
ishq to kar jaa ni

jag chod de jogi,
chahe jag le daroga
ishq to kar jaa ni

ishq to kar jaa
ishq to kar jaa
ishq to kar jaa ni

ruk ruk ke thak gayi
aankhen. tu aake
inhe ab bhar jaa ni

--------------------------------------------

aa, aake aahen bhar le
rasta kyun ruka hua hai
dhakka de,aage kar le

seedha sa pul bandha hai
khaali hai, jhuka hua hai
tera dil bilkul andha hai

...........

tere raste rasmein hain
inme kyun uljha hai
aa, apne bana lenge

gurraake danste hain
zahreeli meri raahe
pairon me daalenge

raahen jo dans jaaye
ishq me phans jaa
tu bhi bas ab mar jaa ni

--------------------------------------------

mujhe tere dil me rahna hai
kiraaye me jaan bhi le le
bolo, tera kya kahna hai

kabse khaali khade hain
tere dil ke kamre akele
maile se ye pade hain

...............

goonge deewaron pe
tona yun phoonkoongi
mauseeqi mal doongi

rookhe nazaaron pe
nazrein yun phenkoongi
mausam badal doongi

mere dil ke shahar me
sabaa sa sahar sa
tu bhi aake thahar jaa ni

ishq to kar jaa
ishq to kar jaa
ishq to kar jaa ni

---------------------------------------------------------

Ajee... sunto ho...?!! :D :D :D

Oblique Sabbaticals

Some new muse.
Some new ruse.
Some won't wait;
some can't refuse.
Lying in a tomb,
they call for a truce!
Same old news,
there ain't any use.

We want grain;
so does the weevil!
which of us, then,
is the greater evil?
We all shout war -
conscience and free will!!
And who'll draw the lines-
they will or we will!

Let us bored souls
now don new roles.
Why fence on the roads?!
Let's dance by the poles!
Whoever said - there ain't any
atheists in foxholes!
Blue balls and sore soles,
we still live by potholes!
----------------------------------
Indignation...!!

udhde parde

tum na jaane
kis pahar me
atke hue ho

main
lamhe taan-taan-ke
lapet-ti rahti hoon
apne ungliyon pe

zindagi ke parde
udh-de jaa rahe hain
par pardon ke peeche
tum to nazar nahin aate

ab bahut hua

bata bhi do

tum
kis pahar me
atke hue ho?!

----------------------------------

Aa paas aa... :) :) :)

someone is in the shadows!!

beware, beware the star is let loose!!
last I heard, he is the moon's muse!!
hiding in shadows on lazy afternoons,
he smiles and pouts while the world swoons!

should I wait for another fortnight
when the black moon wont follow twilight;
and make the most when it's my turn
before the next adorable moon's return?

nay, nay I know how to douse my lust
with just two whiffs of addictive star dust
I will sit, for him to come by my open windows
or maybe I will spend noons scouting shadows!!

---------------------------------------------------------------

someday when he's here and the sky's starlit
I will sing to him, soniye love mera hit hit
and when he smirks and finds my words funny
I will tell him... kasmanu khaaye mar jaani mar jaani
:D :D :D :D

tark-e-muhabbat ka hamaara iraada to nahin hai

ishq maqtuul yahaan aaj ho bhi jaaye agar
marg-e-aashiq yahaan ho bhi jaaye agar
tark-e-muhabbat ka hamaara iraada to nahin
ishq me jo bhi ho jitna bhi ho zyaada to nahin

tamasha-e-chasm-e-nam ke shaukeen zamaana
aankhein tar nahin hongi, khaab beghar nahin honge
ehteyaat dilwalon ki fitrat me hai kahaan
tu jaake kahin aur kar salaah-mashavra
dil-e-maftoon ko aaj to tu aazaad kar,
kaafir to nahin hai yeh kaafir to nahin hai
kar le koshish har chaurahe pe bana le kachahri
tu bane mera qaazi mujhe qubool nahin hai

ishq maqtuul tere haathon me ho bhi jaaye agar
marg-e-aashiq yahaan ho bhi jaaye agar
tark-e-muhabbat ka hamaara iraada to nahin
ishq me jo bhi ho jitna bhi ho zyaada to nahin

tajaruba-e-tohmat-e-aashiqui to aam hai
dil diya hai mujhe, khuda, tujhpe yeh ilzaam hai
mere haafiz mere haatim ae mere haatif-e-zaalim
dil diya hai mujhe to inhe tum maghz bhi dete
khush-mijaaj ho sab dekhna to tera hi kaam hai
dil diya hai mujhe, khuda, tujhpe yeh ilzaam hai

Phir bhi tark-e-muhabbat ka iraada to nahin
ishq me jo bhi ho jitna bhi ho zyaada to nahin

kuch to!!

jee lee
jee lee
sadiyaan surkh geeli
tanha ladke jhagadke
yeh sadakein
woh sadakein

-----------------------------

jaldee
jaldee
khamoshi kyun mal dee
bejaan si hain galiyaan
ab chalaa aa
ae chhaliyaa

-----------------------------

bas rah le
ab rah le
yahaan subah se pahle
raat bhar saath mar jaa
phir ghar jaa
tu ghar jaa

-----------------------------

kuch to!
kuch bhi!!
kabhi to sachmuch bhi!
ho sake to sab kuch bhi!
par kuch to!
haan, kuch bhi!!

Khudaa sa ajnabi

ajnabi sa lagta hai woh khudaa mera
woh jo mera haafiz hai
mera waaqif hai
main har roz utarta hoon sajde main
aur woh har roz guzarta hai mere kooche se
par na woh dekhta hai mujhe
na rukta hai mere dar pe

khudaa sa lagta hai woh ajnabi mera
woh jo mera haatif hai
mera qaatil hai
woh pahchaanta tak nahin hai mujhe
par har dafaa meri ibaadat ke jawaab me
muskaan chod jaata hai meri raahon me
raunaq chada jaata hai mere manzar pe

ab to darr sa lagta hai to
bas is baat ka-
koi mere ajnabi ko
mere naam-o-pata na bata de

Cryptic

he is all runes
I, hieroglyphics
he fancies the clouds
I love tomorrows

he lives on the shore
I live in my head
he always walks ahead
and yet stalks my bed

he is an algorithm
I am all smiles and sobs
he is a celebrity
I celebrate every other hour

he is so deep; I want to die
in a heap, I just lie
each time I see him fly
he sees me dead and then goes red

don't ask me why I live in
a city that never sleeps
a city with perennial hard-ons
seeking, out, the sky

but well, he just moved in
to live me in my head
I wish he leaves this metaphor
with me forever instead

Soliloquy souvenirs

bonsai bob
a tiny corn cob
lazy traffic
impatient honks
a restless cuckoo
a potted plant

sit and see me
sip my soul

glass rectangles
creased reflections
wooden tables
colored uncertainty
guavas are pink
apples are green

sit and see me
sip my soul

Greasy noses
sweet mother of moses
cheques torn up
wet tissue papers
snacks and suspicion
smiling solos

sit and see me
sip my soul

lost I was
lost I am
fish! shoot!god!
fcuk! shit! damn!
superman! superman!
samosas and shiny floors

sit and see me
sip my soul

it's not a puzzle
just a mental tussle
crazy tug-o-war
they wait in a car
think me up
think it through

sip and savour me
suck my soul dry
--------------------------- ----
classic eccentricities!!! trademark me!!! :D :D :D

Phir se...

Aaj subah uthi to dekha

mere dareecho pe lage naarangi parde

udne ki koshish kar rahe the

khushi se

tum aaye the kya pichli raat?

ye itne khush kyun hain?

baraamde pe

darakhto ki shaakhon se guzarte dhoop ki cheente

rangoli bana rahi thi

khushi se

tum aaye the kya pichli raat?

nahin to ye itni khush kyun thi?

mere bistar pe itne silvatein bani hain

jaise jang chhidi ho yahaan pe

maine to karvat hi nahin lee thi

to phir ye bistar

aise muskuraake ishaare kyun kar raha hai

khushi se

sach bolo- tum aaye the na pichli raat?

varna ye itna khush kyun hai?

tum bade badmash ho!

har raat aise hi aate ho

bina aahat kiye

nange paanv

range paanv

aur saare ghar me kahaaniyaan chod jaate ho

aur main

har subah sochti rahti hoon

tum aaye the kya pichli raat

kal bhi aise hi aaye hoge

kitni baar bola hai

jab bhi aao

utha diya karo

par tum na!!

meri ek nahin sunte

jaao

main tumse baat nahin karti!

My whim! My wish!!

No, no, no!!!
I am not going down that street

I heard there are stalls,
where soothsayers hard sell sobriety!!
Oh yes, they are the ones
who sought a stay order-
because they did not like
that the sky stalked them.


Boo, Boo, Boo!!
Let 'em bray! Let 'em bleat!!
I am not going down that street!
Bloody sure, not going down their street!!

Screw their sobriety,
I so wanna be drunk!!

GO tell them I warned them-
they will soon close shop.
I want to hoist my obsession
on my rainbow roof top!!

How dare they ask me
to hide it in my trunk?!
Screw their sobriety,
I so wanna be drunk!!

---------------------------------------
Did I hear you say something about me? I concur!!
But then, Hon', when was I not?

sard-o-nam-o-namkeen si in aankhon ke

par khol de
dard bhari gamgeen si in aankhon ko

parwaaz de

sard-o-nam-o-namkeen si in aankhon ke

lab khol de
dard bhari gamgeen si in aankhon se

aawaaz de



yeh rasm-o-naam-o-kaaydo me gumshuda se maayne
aankhon me tahriir kiske dhoodhte hain aaine

yeh shahar kyun hai gumnaam rishton ka ek baazaar sa
har pahar khamoshiyon ka karobaar sa bezaar sa

ab bahut hua, band kar dukaan, aaj to kuch bol de
aahaton ki aad me ud, aasmaan ko tol de



ab har dareeche ke peeche, sanjeeda si ranjishein
posheeda si koshishein, khwabeedaa si khwahishein

barf ke teelon me kyun behis bani hain hasratein
chod de, mat kheech tu ab nazron pe yun sarhadein

khol de dar, aaj har bedam nazaara ghol de
narm-o-naazuk khwaabon ko ab ek khula mahaul de



sard-o-nam-o-namkeen si in aankhon ke
lab khol de

dard bhari gamgeen si in aankhon se
aawaaz de

sard-o-nam-o-namkeen si in aankhon ke

par khol de
dard bhari gamgeen si in aankhon ko

parwaaz de

Be-ikhtiyaar

tu har shab kartab karta gaya
besabr-o-besabab sab bharta gaya

mere lab to rab rab karte rahe
par betalab har matlab marta gaya

chaunk-ke ulajh gayi ab raahein meri
yahin kahin kabhi mera ghar tha. gaya!

mujhe khush rakhna hai kasoor tera
muaaf karne ko main ab marta gaya

jis jaanib jaaoon jahaan me tu
tujhe sochoon dil jab jab karta gaya

ikhtiyaar aur ishq to raqeeb se hain
bekhabar main kya kab karta gaya

tere kandhein pe khwahishein likhni thi
pichla pahar ik mauka agar tha, gaya!

le chaloge?!

le chalo mujhe tum

kabhi us jagah

jahaan pe zameen aur aasmaan milte hain

jahaan aazaad bhatakta ho har pahar

na saleeqa na hisaab

na tareeqa na paabandi

ham thahar jaaye kisi raat par

aur peecha karte karte

kisi nanhi narm subah ka

kabhi baarish me bheeg-ke raqs kare

kabhi barf ke teelon ko gudgudaaye gaa gaa-ke

kisi ped pe apne naam likhe

kisi dariyaa pe apne panv ke nishaan chod de

yaa phir sochti hoon

rahne do

tum mujhe bas apne yahaan le chalo

aur main

saari raat tumhare kaandhe pe

apni aarzoo likhti rahoon

ungliyon se

le chaloge?!

Kuch to kaho

main dasht hoon besabr si

tum zaalim se ek abr ho

tum udte ho main tarasti hoon

tum kishton me baraste ho

ye ret ke jism-o-rooh mere

bikharne lage hai hawaon me

tum kabhi kabhi kuch bol bhi do

tum kabhi kabhi kuch bol bhi do

yaa ab main bhi jo udne lagoon

beraham si khamoshi odhe-

dhuen sa chehra lekar apna

tum mujhse shikaayat mat karna!!!

yeh kya paagalpan hai?

tum
ek bahri yaad bankar
meri aankhon me soye pade ho
pichli raat se

kabse
aawaaz diye jaati hoon
na sunte ho na jaagte ho

bas muskuraakar
karvat lete ho
aur phir so jaate ho

aise hi rahoge
aankhon me
to baaki duniya kaise nazar aayegi

ab bahut hua-
tum niklo abhi aankhon se
raat ko phir laut aana.

arey baba!
daftar me hoon!
kaam bhi to karna hai!!

------------------------------
:) :) :)

tum kabhi yun bhi karo...

tum kabhi yun bhi karo
ek lifafe me bhej do hame-

ek kaagaz bhar
muskuraati khamoshi

thodi baatooni nazrein tumhari

tere sufiyaana khayaalon ki mahak

thodi surkhi jo ugti hai
apni guftagu se

teri aankhon me base
mausam ke hisse

tumhare ungliyon ka ehsaas
jo tona sa kar jaata hai
waqt par

thodi si muhabbat
kisi bedaar raat me lapeti hui

aur haan,
do chaar bose
jo sabaa se choo jaaye
rukhsaaron ko

ham to
teri zameen par
bhool aaye hain
jaan apni

tum kabhi yun bhi karo
ek lifafe me daalke
bhej do hame

do chutki zindagi

yeh kya karte hain

khaabon me har shab chhila karte hain
subah phir khud ko sila karte hain

dooriyon me bikhar jaate hai murjhaake
mulaqaaton me simatke khila karte hain

sochte hain rah lenge ham judaa aapse
phir bunke bahaane aap hi se mila karte hain

berahami aap hi ka hai, khushfahami aap hi se
aur ham jaa jaake aap hi se gila karte hain

haan.. pahunche!!

nikle the kis taraf, aur ham yeh kahaan pahunche

aise me bataaye kya ke kahaan ko daastaan pahunche

pata to diya nahin, bas nishaan mile paanv ke

peecha karte karte tera, ab ham aasmaan pahunche

kitne betaab se nikle the, aur tum mile kuch ho gaya

is liye to tere dar, hairaan-o-bezubaan pahunche

raat karvat leti hai itni, lamhon pe shikan se bane

beraham se tum jo banke aankhon ke mehmaan pahunche

hamaare kooche me bhi aakar, alfaaz chidak jaao kabhi

khamoshi ko aaraam mile, labon pe muskaan pahunche

kuch hai tum-me ke har dil hai ghulaam tera

bas tere aashiq mile, ham jahaan jahaan pahunche

ab deewane se teri aahat pahanke nikalte hai ham

kahaan ko nikle the ham aur ab yeh kahaan pahunche

mujhko aawaaz de...

mujhko aawaaz de kabhi, aasmaan bhar de
choo le mujhko zaraa, bezubaan kar de
de ijaazat, tere khaabon me aa jaa sakoon
tere seene me mujhe ik khushnuma ghar de

nazm

woh shaam
ab bhi meri aankhon me padi hai
tum saahil pe lete hue the
aur lahre daud daud-ke aati
aur tumhare shahad se badan pe
namkeen bulbulon ka libaas pahnaa jaati

tere chehre pe
ik saundhi si hansi thi
jis-se saara ufaq mahak utha tha

sooraj
baukhlaaya sa
tumhare pairon pe pade samandar par
ik gulaabi kahkashaan bikher gaya tha
jaate jaate

agle dopahar
teri narm aawaaz choo gayi to
aasmaan pighalke
betaab samandar me ghulne laga tha

teri saundhi si hansi ki khusbo
ab bhi nikalti rahti hai
seene se har shab
woh shaam-
woh shaam ab bhi
padi hai aankhon me meri
aur har pahar tasavvur me
teri aawaaz gungunaati rahti hai
'ae ajnabi tu bhi kabhi aawaaz de kahin se.'
-------------------------------------------------------
Happiness is happening off!!!! :D :D :D

Kanjoos

hawaa ke haathon
poori daastaan bhej di unhe
kishton me saara aasmaan bhi
shahad me duboke subahein bhi
muskaanon se sajaake shaamein bhi

aur woh...
aur woh hain ki
ab bhi lafz tol tol-ke paroste hain hame!!

Tum jo aaye to...

seene me qaid tha ye dil
jeene se gair tha ye dil
lekin jab se tum mile ho
dil parinda ho gaya
ye phir se zinda ho gaya

tum jo aaye to
hosh gaayab hai
tum jo aaye ho
naamunaasib hai

khayalon me tere dam tode hain din
tere sapnon me jaan ganvaati hain raatein

tum jo aaye to
chain zakhmi hai
tum batao to
kya berahami hai

tum jo aaye to....
-----------------------------------------
now this one had to go up... :D :D

Rasoi

main to dhaniyaa koot raha tha
aaloo kaanda kaat raha tha
muskaan ugaa gaya khayaal tera

main to masaala baant raha tha
beech me imli chaat raha tha
muskaan ugaa gaya khayaal tera

lolz lolz... yes yes... I know... don't look at me like that!!!

intezaar

Dasht banaa hai khusk nazar ye
khaab ke thode abr sajaa doon
kabse pade hain sabz iraade
lab pe zaraa inhe lafz banaa de

------------------------------------------
come on, come on, out wherever you are!! :D :D :D

Rasiyaa...

rasiyaa...
haule haule ras barsaa jaa

karvaton me bikhri raaton me pyaar de
khwahishon me lipte seene sawaar de
mere chehre pe tere saaye pahnaa jaa
rasiyaa...

lahrein ho hazaaron, kinaare do chaar de
lahron pe sulagta aasmaan utaar de
rooh ko bhigoke jism tu bujhaa jaa
rasiyaa...

-------------------------------------------------
Remember that Aamsutra.. slice ad with Katrina...
well, couldn't stop myself!! :)

The Morning After

tell me now tell me then
tell me how tell me when
the sky went red
when we were in bed
don't you just live inside my head?

you so hot, buy me a whistle
or if not, just try not to sizzle
what have i said
that you've turned beet red
don't you just live inside of my head?

we are a dream, dark chocolate and cream
you let out a gasp, i try not to scream
the next morning we dread
all the things unsaid
but wait, don't you just live in my head?

---------------------------------------
yes, it is kinda incomplete... but well.. i am both lazy and impatient...!!

But then...

I thought I would forget but then...
that I won't be upset but then...

when I asked life for a li'l time
I thought it would wait but then...

Oh he?! he moved out of my life
I put up a board to let but then...

it is the same time of the year again
the same season when we'd met but then...

I keep scouting for reasons to hate him
I have not found one yet but then...

I know I am the one who preached
'forgive and forget' but then...

they said it would be impossible for me
to be such an idiot but then...

--------------------------------
my brain is just a crazy monkey
i tried to find a vet but then
:D :D :D :D

a rhyme tonight

been ages since I did it , let me try and rhyme tonight
don't act like a celebrity, Night, gimme some time tonight

the day a total disaster and sobriety is my penitence
Waiter, don't die of surprise, just a soda lime tonight

what was exciting is now a ritual; Life, what've you done to us?
let's not hold hands, Sweetheart; feels like a crime tonight

when your eyes don blue sarcasm, I wince with pleasant pain
don't talk and ruin my mood, just sit and mime tonight

syntax and convention, didn't you gimme a zillion sermons?
don't gimme that look for trying something sublime tonight

the lazy earth just went around the sun but twice
and all the seasons I saw, lemme show you sometime tonight

meri subah lena, meri shaam lena
magar lab se yun hi mera naam lena

hawaon pe rakhke, bheje hai bose
khidkiyaan kholkar mere paigaam lena

kabse betaab se baithe hain yeh labon pe
aakar chuuke mujhko, aah iinaam lena

muskuraane ke tum yun vajah ban gaye ho
main bhi bunoo bahaane, tum unhe thaam lena

ham mile hi nahin juda hone chale hai
pad raha, hamko aaghaaz me hi anjaam lena

----------------------------
as pleasant accidents continue to interrupt life... :)

aashiq bante gaye

is jahaan ke aashiq bante gaye; har zubaan ke aashiq bante gaye
hai kasoor sahin betaab se har daastaan ke aashiq bante gaye

naqshon raston se oobke hamne jaise hi parwaaz chuna
hawa ko pahanke zameen se ude, aasmaan ke aashiq bante gaye

hamse pehle hi aa pahunche, hamare baad bhi chalte rahenge yunhi
be-ibtedaa be-intehaa har armaan ke aahiq bante gaye

har safhe par phir se wahin puraane kuch alfaaz likhe
zindagi phir bhi ham tere andaaz-e-bayaan ke aashiq bante gaye

aisa bhi nahin khushfaham hai ham, tu fikr na kar dil-e-badgumaan
us shaks ki har ik nuks ko ham pehchaanke aashiq bante gaye

hai ishq se shukr mijaaj yahaan, hai ishq se ruswaa naam yahaan
phir bhi mehfil ko sajaake har mehmaan ke aashiq bante gaye

But yes, of course!!

Her status message read: "A hundred days and I already love him so much"
and it was not about me of course.
Now for those of you, who know not - love is like an addiction with both of us... and we love each other, Archu and me- at least whenever we find time... so today we were at it again (when i saw her status message hinting at someone else :P)- ... proclaiming our eternal love for each other between the flings that we perennially have with the rest of the world.

-------------------------------------------

Sri: do you measure time in smiles now?
do you seek dawn in lazy words?
do you sing thoughts to orange walls?
do you sleepwalk through conversations?
do you whistle a hi and do you wink a bye?
do you?

Archu: i do, i do
i will sing for u from orange walls.
you will find my kisses splendid in apple orchards
and my words blowing with the wind
all my love will pour with the rains
and burn you in passion forever

Sri: in winters, the trees shed leaves and the sky sheds stars
in wait of black silence on a pale yellow scrap
but you blow me dust on lazy afternoons...
is it fair? i guess not!!

Archu: i will wake you up with a kiss
and you will see spring flowers,
blooming all across your mind and heart ,
lighting your spirits...
then we will take a flight to the la la lands
and sing our songs
to the dinosaurs

Sri: :O
i thought so too ...
that love is an endangered emotion
while most make it out to be a cocktail
of smudgy whisky glasses and crumpled sheets
of ruffled hair and forgotten promises
but i knew we would find them
the dinosaurs
albeit in a brittle glass safari
:)
lets see if we ride the dinosaurs
or become prey
lets see... if we take them for walks each evening or...
just become dinosaurs ourselves
lets see

Archu: we are evolved in love,
we can write, we can sing,
poor dinosaurs- we will teach them to dance to our tunes
and rock a few mountains or two
then with our taming,
they will make us your forgotten breakfast
of cranberry juice and fourteen kisses

Sri: how could i forget-
how we had dreams for dinner and snuggles for dessert...
how we danced in the bath...
how we played hide and seek behind purple curtains...
but then love is a meal with a zillion courses...

and have you ever heard of too much sunshine...
too much moonlight...
too many blossoms in the garden...
or too much togetherness
i have not... coz i love you... :)

when you laugh with me and we scare the clouds away...
when you dance with me and we bring down the world...
when you look into my eyes and sprinkle new seasons...
i will just watch you gamble parts of me away

i am just a lucky dog...
i am just a crazy bitch...
and hundred days with a hundred others,
will not change me a bit

:) :) :)

Pidi

Barsaati shaamein yaad hain
gungunaati raatein yaad hain
roothi subahein yaad hain
kya tumko yaad hain?

bagiya me tahalna yaad hai
yunhi jhagadna yaad hai
dhoop me baithe sadiyaan yun hi
baatein karna yaad hai

Jabse aayi ho zindagi me, Pidi
Jee kare bitaaoo sang tere har ghadi
Jabse aayi ho zindagi me, Pidi
Har cheez khoobsurat lagti hai badi
-------------------------------------------
jab bhi tum
mere paas aake
aise khilkhilaake hansti ho
bejaan lab besabab se mere khilne lagte hain

jab bhi tum
mujhpe bevajah
bigadti barasti ho
mere dil me patjhad sa hone lagta hai

teri aahat mera aashiyaan
tera saaya mera aasmaan
teri roothi meethi baaton ke tinkon se hai mera jahaan...

jabse aayi ho zindagi me, Pidi...

-----------------------------------------------
:D :D :D

ud jaate ho

ankhiyon me aate ho
rattiyaan bitate ho
subah jo ankhiyaan kholoon
kahaan ud jaate ho

pag lage honge kahin to
jag bhar nishaan main dhoondhoon
kaun jaane kis badri pe
paanv rakh jaate ho

subah jo ankhiyaan kholoon
kahin ud jaate ho

The elves

while I pin a new whim on my lapel
at dawn everyday
and wait for a knock
on my oak door

while I die breathless
each night
seeing the waves make lazy noises
in the darkness

while I blow off -
in dreamy encounters -
brown hugs woven into my blanket
by anonymous love

while I check black words
in my mail box
walking down many miles
never to return

while I push my walls
again and again
to make room in my shack
for my red furniture

they come when I am not looking
and slice my marble hills
into neat cubes
with a hot butter knife

I don't dream their husky voices
chanting-
Be careful what you wish for
'coz you jus might get it

Each morning I wake up
to find smirks and foot steps
on my carpet
making me smile like never before

Did you leave your door open?
You should!
----------------------------------
How I love them?! :D :D :D

laut aao

shab ka saahil baandhke pairon pe
ab to apne yaahaan tum laut aao
phir jhat se din ho jaayega
phir tum pe dil aa jaayega

kabhi jashn me muskaan bharne chale
kabhi dasht ke mehmaan ban-ne chale
kabhi sahre ke saundhe andheron ko
'sal' ki aag me gumraah karne chale

yahaan kohra chala to senk lage
kabhi aah jage kabhi aankh lage
khaali se pade hai khaab kai
yeh neend bhi veeraan baithi hai

teri deewaron pe tange lab ab
chedte hai bedaar si raaton me
jab baithi yahaan main kamre me
hawaon pe tumhe sandese likhti hoon

ab bahut hua tum zidd na karo
ab apne yahaan tum lau aao
shab ka saahil baandhke pairon me
ab apne yahaan tum laut aao

aate aate wahin berahami le aana
jo betaab kare mujhe shaam-o-sehar
sadak pe baithi dhundh bujhaa denge
phalak ke taaron se garmi le aana

phir jhat se din ho jaayega
phir tum pe dil aa jaayega
ab apne yahaan tum laut aao
bas laut aao abhii laut aao
-----------------------------------------
the last one this year... :D

ae khud ke deewane

mehfil me tauba karte ho
chup chupke sauda karte ho
jaate ho, jaan le jaate ho
aur tanha lauta karte ho

jaan baqsh de, jee vaar doon
jee kaat-ke sau baar doon

ae khud ke deewane

bezaar

din bhar kore lamhon ko bharne ke liye
alfaaz chidakne ki koshish karti rahi
to dekha ki zahan itni rookhi hai
ki lavz nikalte nikalte seene me shikan ban jaate hain
aur maayne- bas laapata

ab sochti hoon
lamhon ko khaali hi chod deti hoon
kya karoon
aaj kal zindagi me kuch hota bhi to nahin...

shaam

sadak sunsaan hai

bejaan sa aasmaan sadak ke us paar
apna roshan libaas utaar raha hai

halke se saaye barasne lage hain
khamosh se shaam par

aur kahin door dareechon se
ek shamma jhaank rahi hain
par ye choti shamma kya jang ladegi
kaali raat se

main roz yahin inhi nazaaron ko dekhti hoon
aur sochti hoon -

jab tum saath hote the
yahin nazaare kitne khoobsurat lagte the

kuch to baat thi tumhari nazron me
jinke sohbat me har manzar pe raunak si chad jaati thi...

-------------------------------------------------------
seene me
tumhari kuch narm nazrein chunke chhipa leti to
har shaam shayad yun berang-o-beqas na hoti...

Chessboard life

why do you live a chessboard life, boy
& yet not move by the rules?

why do you still color the boxes
with ivory dreams
& burgundy plans?

why do you choose to be knight
at war
when you are the crown prince?

why do you see through the rooks & bishops
trying hard to make you smile?

why does your board have so many more squares
than the rest?
why do you choose to stick to the checkered sky?

why do you play on
when there is no opponent left?

why do you live a chessboard life, boy
& yet not move by the rules?

------------------------------------
Where do we go next when all we want is ours?

To one of the few rockstars I know & am glad I do!!

Conundrum

taut
distraught
caught
in what
we were not
to be
we
fail to see
& flee
from the mind
only
to find
we leave
behind
the reason we fought
taut
& distraught

Another Summary

I cry & moan;
sit pretty.
a lori!
not a sound.

I sigh & groan.
a pity;
14th storey
from the ground!

I lie alone-
a city
of stories
around!

Aasmaan-wale

zaraa jagaa de
jabeen ugaa de
aasmaan wale



pooche na koi
aise rookhi rookhi raaton me sooni sooni ankhiyaan kyun jaage hain

dekhe na koi
saayon me simat-ke sadiyaan kahaan ye bhaage hain

kohre me gum se chehre hazaaron sajde me utre hain
ik umr se ummeed me pahar ye bujhe hain bikhre hain

sabaa chalaa de
sukoon dilaa de
aasmaan wale



khabar na mila
un raston ka jo kabhi haathon me bante bigad-te the

khabar na mila
un naqshon ka jinhe kabhi udte khayaal pakadte the

padh le kabhi aasmaan ke is jaanib bhi duwaayen hai
sunn se shab, soone se sahar aur bezaar hawaayen hai

raah dikha de
rooh chuda de
aasmaan wale

Kabhi sadak ke is paar chale aana - II

Kabhi sadak ke is paar chale aana
jahaan beemar zameen hai ik arse se

aaoge to dekhoge
daastaan yahaan aisi bhi hai
kisi sunn sahar ke kohre me
kohraam utha kisi kooche me

zindagi ke kaii purzon par
ab bhi gard jami si hai

chehre bejaan adhoore hain
aur pahar mushkil se utarte hain

kharch hue jaati hai jaan magar
umr to wahin bas thahar gayi

behisi ki khaab hai aankhon me
kaash khaak ho jaate usi sahar

kabhi sadak ke is paar chale aana
ik shahar hai yeh beemar zameen
yahaan ummeed ke kabr hazaaron hain

kabhi to in par bhi gaur karo

------------------------------------------------
24 years since the Bhopal gas tragedy, the place is still a carnival of mental & physical illnesses/disorders... Is there hope around the corner? Will it end?

Kabhi sadak ke is paar chale aana - I

Kabhi sadak ke is paar chale aana
jahaan surkh aasmaan pada rahta hai

aaoge to dekhoge
daastaan yahaan aisi bhi hai
ke daag mile hain viraasat me
dikhte bhi nahin, dhulte bhi nahin

aur naam bhi loge tum jo agar
saari subahein bujh jaate hain

badgumaani besabab si bas
libaas hai yahaan har chehre ka

kya karein jo zamaana kachahri hai
aur khud qaazi hi qatl karein

gumnaam kisi raat me chhip jaaye
bas itni si khwahish hai abhi

kabhi sadak ke is paar chale aana
ik shahar hai surkh aasmaan tale
jahaan oonchi imaaratein hain sawaalon ki

kabhi to in par bhi gaur karo

----------------------------------------------
Kids diagnosed HIV+ rejected admissions in schools in Kerala because parents of other kids object.
So much for education, awareness... blah blah blah!!!

The room on the fourth floor

A placid steel gray sky
behind flapping curtains

A silken night
on the book shelf
& zillions of dark alphabets

A red chair
& embarrassing solitude

Blue sheets, feathery pillows
& striped dreams

A green mat
& a stained era of stories brought home to stay over

Chimpu
sighing at new green memories

An orange bucket, a white bed
& loads of dirty laundry

A black mug - a rival
A purple box - a milestone
A smiling boy - a treasure

Noises & some rain
sneaking in through closed windows

Brown smiles
Sunny laziness
Wild dances

Checkered moments
Chaotic comfort

Colorful existence
over which each night I paint -
a thousand shades of silence.

-----------------------------------------
:)

The Phenomenon

It happened again today
like always.

Ideas flew out of my window.
He blew them down
& I see now,
the wings wouldn't have lasted for long

I admit my mistake
He raises an eyebrow
He grows smirks
I shred them
a ritual as old as the night
a ritual as pointless as the stars
a ritual nonetheless

He is a foreign language movie
without subtitles;
a conversation in
smiling exclamation marks
& silence

A code, I tried to decipher for ages -
amused at times, annoyed at others.

& I wonder
what is worse:
the smile or the silence?

He is an insult
to all laws of nature
a cynic
a maniac
a saint

His thoughts are a game of shadows
with a thousand faint colors;
colors left behind
in many shapeless encounters
in a closed room
upstairs

Someday when he turns back
he will see
that he did it too-
leaving behind a trail of stone shadows
on all of the few he smiled at.
-----------------------------------------
:) To an idiot who is slowly moving from mono-syllables to paragraphs!! :P

:)

teraa cheharaa jaise anjuman armaanon ki
tu palke uthaaye to har parda utar jaaye

masroof si rahti hai khud hi se baaton me
muskaan ugaati hai tu jaise jidhar jaaye

maaynon me bandhi baaton se bezaar sawaal kare
yeh kaisa junoon hai tera jisme shaam-o-sehar jaaye

raqeeb ho ya ho sanam, zakhmi hai sukoon tujhse
phir kyun na koi tujhpar ab mukadama kar jaaye

kiston me bharti hai tu ishq nigaahon me
aankhein jo band kare, qaaynaat thahar jaaye

bejaan se lab mere, pal me, khil jaate hai
nooraani yaad teri bas chooke agar jaaye

manzil ki fiqar hai kise? raahon pe pair tere -
pade to raunaq hai, jaise bhi safar jaaye

raqs karna yun shab bhar, rasm apni puraani hai
aasmaan ab surkh hua; chalo ab to ghar jaaye? :P

jo bhi ho phir kal hoga. phir zinda ho jaayenge
chalo aaj ki dasht pe ham baras-ke mar jaaye?

hawaa pe ghazal likh-kar, tere dar pe chodi hai
padh lena ghazal meri, tu chat pe agar jaaye
----------------------------------------------
To Damini, the orange girl! :)

Italicised

She wakes up to a dark room
& makes an attempt to ignore-
all the monsters under her bed,
all the skeletons in the closet,
all the demons in her head;
But nightmares have their way.
She wipes her forehead & whispers
a fervent prayer.
"No, un-italicise me."

She walks on golden brown sand
in a city of frozen glass volcanoes.
Everything is different;
everyone's the same.
She looks at a wisp of white overhead
in a blazing blue sky.
She shades her face & whispers
rather amusedly.
"To un-italicise me?"

She stands on an escalator
& the wrong crowd waves at her.
Colours erupt at a distance
where she is not allowed to go.
She meanders to a mirror;
a muffled reflection flies towards her.
She closes her eyes & whispers
another useless spell.
"Go, un-italicise me"

She stares at a pseudonym-
a name she vowed not to take!
Her fingers drum on her keyboard.
Should she now or should she not?
Her mind is a cluttered warehouse
of stale sense & safe alibis.
She smiles at herself & whispers
to the faceless intruder.
"So, un-italicise me"

Maps are not always
about straight lines.
She had taken a U-turn
before she reached it;
& now she lives a bad dream
stained with credibility.

Let's hope she wakes up someday
with amnesia & an empty past!
If she does , do remind her:
She is better off-
italicised.
------------------------------------------------
:)

Raashan

uski zindagi raashan ki dukaan hai

main har din
ek lambe kataar me khade khade
guzaarti hoon
taaki mujhe bhi uski zindagi ke kuch lamhe
mil jaaye

har roz mujhe gin-ginke
woh do chaar muskaan deta hai
jinhe main seene me bachake rakhti hoon;
har raat tol tolke ek-aadh sapna!


kabhi kabhi saara din
kheechataani me utar jaata hai
aur main saari raat uske dar pe baithi
sooni hatheliyon me neendein senkti rahti hoon
intezaar me;
aur jab meri baari aati hai to pata chalta hai -
stock khatm ho gaya

aaj bhi main uske dar se
khaali haath lauti hoon
bas kuch jale se khaab bache hain,
jo aankhon me dhuaan udaa rahe hain

haan pata hai-
uski zindagi raashan ki dukaan hai
yeh bhi pata hai-
aaj ke saare lamhe black me bik gaye

par suna hai
uske shaam ke kuch tukde aapke paas hain

kya aaj ke liye mujhe aapse aadhi katori yaadein
udhaar mil sakti hain, please?!

Let me do something!

today was another gift
left at my doorstep
wrapped in curious looks & failed gazes as usual

I told you
not to spill silence
between the lines;
Didn't I?
But you!!

Now not a soul knows
what I am all about!

I am the narrator
I am the protagonist
but you-
you are the writer
who wrote me down in his sleep

& here I am
a story without verbs!
Let me do something
before it is too late!!

Khamoshi

zarra zarra ab zaar zaar ho gaya
zara zara si baaton se pyar ho gaya

khamosh lamhon me basi naazuk si zindagi
bas ek baat uthi, aur daraar ho gaya

jo khwaabeedah khwahish jaga gaya tha tu
besukoon kar gaya, main bedaar ho gaya

badgumaan mausam sawaal karte gaye
main bas bezubaan sa beqaraar ho gaya

hazaaron kism ke sannate hain labon pe mere
har lamha khamoshiyon ka dayaar ho gaya

mere dar pe tu aata kabhi to dekhta
muskaanon ka gharonda ab mazhaar ho gaya

besabab jode the tumne tukde chehre par
aur main betalab be-ekhtiyaar ho gaya

bevajah guftagu me shab-o-roz utarte the
ab har shab meri aahon me bezaar ho gaya

faasle ugne me yahaan waqt lagta hai kahaan
ek pal me har darwaaza deewaar ho gaya

cheente kuch raat ke aankhon me rah gaye
dekhkar inhe subah sharm-o-saar ho gaya

hosh ke tukde dhoodhte umr guzri
ab aake khumaar ka shumaar ho gaya

sansani kar gayi, ansuni mar gayi
aaj haqeeqat ka deedar ho gaya?

kitni mayoos hai tu, kitni manhoos hai
zindagi, tumhi se ishq baar baar ho gaya
----------------------------------------------
A Sequel to Guftagu! Return to silence...! :)
Freedom is an awesome feeling!!
But like Phoolan asked me the other time, do I really want to be free?! :D

Have a slice

I snuggle each night under warm sheets
to cold breath & muffled heart beats
The smell of green dreams still lingers on
when I open my eyes to a lazy dawn

& I see-
Too much of nothing is an aphrodisiac
Too little of everything is a sleeping pill

Now when I look back & unsee things-
I know what I need to do & I will

Miles are never a mask
nothing is too much to ask
I have that basket of hope
you gifted me not long ago

I have a slice each dawn for breakfast
If you haven't tried yet, I say you must
There is still quite some left;
want some?

Come over for dinner someday
& I promise when we dine
we will have dreams for dessert
& gulp them down with wine

Deal?!

---------------------------------------
To Hobbesie for being the sweetheart that she is!!
Smilio!! :)

Gap-shap

Jab saanjh saans lene lagti hai
to roshni
chupchaap nikal jaati hai
kuch surkhi phir bhi rah jaati hain aasmaan par

saanjh ke utarte hi
choukhat pe saaye dhera daalke baith jaate hain
gap-shap karne lagte hain
din bhar ki baatein
yahaan-wahaan ke charche

kaise naqshe badalne lage hain
kaise din galne lage hain
kisne daraaron me waqt bharne ki koshish kii
kiske ishq ka tabaadla ho gaya aur kahaan
kaunsi gali me rang hadtaal pe utre hain aur kyun

kuch salaah-mashavare
kuch gile-kachahri

main is shor ki khamosh gawaah banti hoon
har raat

kahin tumhaara naam sa nazar aa jaaye
to main saari raat ek ajnabi dastaan me
kuch harfon ki khwahish liye
rah jaati hoon
in saayon ki bheed me

mere seene me bhi bahut si baatein hain
bekas bekal bezaar besabr
tum kabhi yun-hi gap-shap karne mil jaaya karo na!

mulaqaat

aaj bhi main intezaar karti hoon
jaise pehle karti thi!

haan,
mulaqaatein ab ek arse se khafaa hain
par bahaane to ab bhi ugte rahte hain
aur ummeed bedaar si tahalti rahti hai

mere khayaal
baar baar tumhari baatein duhraate rahte hain
kuch puraani shaamon ki tasveerein liye

tere chehre sa kuch mil jaaye
to uske peeche tere kooche me pahunch jaate hain

kabhi kabhi raahon me
tere kadmon ki aahat-o-nishaan mil jaaye
to unhe dekhne
wahin ruk se jaate hain

aaj kal tum khayaalon me nange paanv kyun aane lage ho?!

benaam khayaal

Har roz kuch kacche khayaal mere yahaan se
lafzon ki talaash me nikalte hain

Har shab yeh khayaal
naakaam se benaam se
laut aate hain

is baar kahin tum inhe mil jaao
to inhe kuch harf pahna dena
kuch lavz thama dena

jaante ho na-
alvida bhi ek lafz hota hai

For want of a better name

You were four syllables before
but now I have a choice
between thirteen syllables & a grunt

& then I think-
what do I call you?

My end sees the night crawl on
for long cold hours
Your window sees the darkness crawl in
at noon

We talk of
wants & winters
over cups of ginger tea

& then I think-
what do I call you?

At dawn,
I fold my sheets
& some funny dreams;
place them under the pillow
for you to laugh them off
when I put them in words

I cry;
you hmmm
I sigh;
you smirk
I bait;
you hunh
I pole vault around;
you groan

While we play pictionary
with our eccentricities,
my room is filled with smiles
that are noticed by all
but you.

& then I think-
What do I call you?

A haiku
A shadow
A trespasser
A vestige of solace
A window of alphabets

I think
I will just leave you unnamed

for want of a better name!!

--------------------------------------------
Bhondu!!
:)

They speak a strange tongue!!!

We did this before & we do it again!!
Arch & me...
After the earlier jugalbandi ,we decide to wreak havoc again with our freaky poetic confluence. So brace yourself for a really incoherent & tangential conversation in verse!!
----------------------------------------------------------------------


Arch: chills sweep me through ,
I drown in smoky boiling waters....
it takes me away to the long loving sleeps ...
I feel touched... I feel loved ...
behind the curtains.. you stare

Sri: hard desperation refuses to go away,
would care to join or jus look the other way?

Arch: to remind me I am still here...
to let you know I will be there...
take a look around and see a fainted face...
right behind the curtains wid orange flowers...
its my purple veil

Sri: this is not the first time,
this has happened before,
but I am tired of stopping,
pls go ahead, gimme more!

Arch: given myself away to you
I stand stranded waiting to be loved...
your hands when they come my way
I feel blessed in bliss....
but then when time flies by
and you stand still
I take a step forward towards my life..
eternal peace

Sri: rhyme is just an excuse,
time is such a recluse,
peace is just another fugitive,
eternity just a sad notion;
Whenever I move, whenever I am still,
I smell of empty space & forever will;
You keep filling me
with memories of yore;
but I am bottomless,
I always yearn for more

Arch: you are like the deep blue see that goes deep inside..
bottomless or shallow within...you decide...
pour out a fine evening..
lets drown in your rains...
your colors will splash up deep into my heart

Sri: Blue I appear, but am not;
all I do is wear the sky;
Worn it for ages, torn pieces of clouds;
it doesn't turn red, it doesn't fade away;
I will sing you a rainy evening,
will you blow the foamy sky away?

Arch: winds I will spray
so I see the rainbow of ur heart..
wipe away those tears
and let the springs come up...
the sun will then shine making you smile...
floating fragrance all around...
dance the happy summer song.. before autumn arives..

Sri: autumn comes & I shed faces
come by & pick them up for me
We will weave a kaleidoscope of smiles,
to look at when you drown the shore
& I reach the stars

Arch: waves will come & take me away...
but love is always here to stay...
we will make a bunch of our smiling times
and share the thorny piercing surprises...
add a few delights...
then when u see a shooting star,
come away with me

Sri: Yes, we will do that,
We will shred the moon
& hide behind the dark night.
While the stars scout for us,
we pull in the sun
& burn them all out!!!

Arch: lets play with the universe
then we dodge a planet or a few...
careful...don't hurt yourself....
the galaxy will burst out seeing us loose

Sri: no! on second thoughts, I would rather,
come by your door & gift you smiles;
I will send you a night full of loving glances,
you write me a dawn of warm hugs!!

Sri: & when the blinds lighten up with your lazy smile,
I will bring you breakfast
with orange juice & fourteen kisses

Arch : aaww sho shweet :P

To Wooden Endings

Another night fell dead on the barb-wire fence
It flew; it fled from a few blades of light
No remorse; no fear
Just pain in vain
Could you do something about the blotting red,
while I sit here tied to the stump of a dead tree??

The sky is hot glass & wishes have wax wings
Some lie beyond; some die within
No end; none mends
They won't stay; they can't go
Could you do something about the dripping wax,
while I sit here tied to the stump of a dead tree??

Words are entangled in smiles & camouflages,
each time they bump into my blue-eyed boy
No chalk; no charcoal
No ink; no lead
Could you do something about the unwritten thoughts,
while I sit here tied to the stump of a dead tree??

& any day you need to furnish
your museum of hearts
Just look up; don't look too far

I sit here tied to the stump of a dead tree!!