Unmusical melody

I feel a mechanical music within me-
there's a silence of noisy streets ,
(my friends and foes, walking ,trampling,
 past my crisscross mind)
carried by reverberating ,
 miniscule,slack, snake-like nerves
 to my torrentially
potent,
cynical brain,
who like a blank slate ,
writes and rubs off
 people,
memories,
moments,
unhindred
 and
uncensored.


Somehow ,
no matter how hard I try,
 the brain like a factory belching smoke
 goes on hammering me
with this dead,
undesired,
unmusical melody;
wherein I can't forget you
 or the moments shared with you...

main malang ik jhola latkaye

मैं मलंग इक झोला लटकाए

चलूँ इधर -उधर

न कोई मंजिल

न ही कोई एक रास्ता

जहाँ चाहूं वहां बना लूं

अपना छोटा सा इक  घर

मैं मलंग इक झोला लटकाए

चलूँ इधर -उधर

कभी मिलूँ गले से

रेत के ठन्डे टीलों से

कभी लटकूँ मैं  

 भीड़ भरी सरकारी बस पर

कभी लूं भीड़ मैं अपनी आखें मीच

कभी लूं हर पल को मैं मन में सींच

  मैं मलंग इक झोला लटकाए

चलूँ इधर -उधर

पता नहीं मंजिल

की तलाश फिर क्यों है मुझे

क्या दो 'मैं ' बसते हैं मुझमे ?

हर चेहरे पर मुझे तेरी ही परछाई

क्यों दिखती है ?

पता नहीं क्यों यह टीस

मिटती नहीं है ?

सभी तो है मलंग

सभी को है

इक मंजिल की तलाश

सभी लिए है इक  झोला

अपनी अपनी यादों का

 इक पोटली अपने कुछ

खूबसूरत झूठे वादों का

  मैं मलंग इक झोला लटकाए

चलूँ इधर -उधर

Hamlet Personified

Some people are Hamlet personified
Their lives just one shade of bleak grey
"To be or not to be" their only question;
Under the unanswered question
and half -born answers
live they
-a half-complete (not incomplete) life.


They desire white,
they chase black;
yet they settle at grey
thus
manifesting
their tragic flaw
of
indecision
-leading
to their
mediocrity.

The mad man

There he was, standing in the corner,
gazing up the sky, his pastime
to find her in the Heavens above.
Did he find her ?
Yes, somewhere in the folds of dark, velvety sky,
he saw her face ,shining like the luminous full moon.
He called out in silent whispers,
reached out a shaky hand
trying,striving to touch the figure
that he created in the sky.
The mob around,
laughing, mocking at
the usual lunatic
moods of
the mad man.

Disappointment

She was ready to help others all the time.

Why then would people  use her instead?

She would call them to ask how they were.

Why then people only called when they had some work?

She would talk at lengths  ,at ease ,over phone

Why then people shirked away from talking to her?

She would gift others lovely presents.

Why then would people only returned her favours ?

She got hold of her life most of the times.

Why then would she fall apart ?

She didn’t  know she was oversensitive.

She didn’t understand she mistrusts people easily .

She was always conscious of their not so dangerous intentions.

She couldn’t understand that those people were

actually busy when they ignored her.

That is why she was disappointed in everyone but herself.

A New Year Promise

You ask me what I want as a new year gift...
What should I ask for myself this new year?
I think I have all in having you..
But I'm reminded of  Ghalib's lines:
"Hazaron Khwahishein Aisi ki har khwahish
pe dam nikle
bahut nikle mere armaan magar phir bhi kam nikle"

So,this year my love
I promise to love myself more
and so will I love the
little moments of life,
that give miniscule joys of life.
I'll love you more
 by loving myself
as in me you reside.

kuch tham sa gaya hai aaj

कुछ थम सा गया है आज
आज न चाहकर भी रो पड़े हम
हम रुक से गए
गए   थे अपने ही हमे छोडके
छोडके अगर जाना ही था
था क्यूँ थामा हमारा हाथ
हाथ अब छूट  ही गए तो
तो बनेगी कैसे अपनी बात
बात बन तो जाती मगर
मगर हर बार आ ही जाता
जाता है इक पलछिन पल
पल जो हमें जीने न दे
दे न हमे मरने की इजाज़त
इजाज़त मिल तो जाती पर
पर कुछ थम सा गया है आज