Changing the world, one word at a time.
Time passed by
Like the ebb and flow
Of a long meandering stream
Yet
Time stood still
Like the countless hours
Of a subconscious dream
Time broke down
Like two lovers
Embroiled in a fight
Time rose up
Like the first ray of light
Time was there
Before it all began
And
After it all ended
There was only time
Somewhere out there
Someday
When we least expect it
We’d find truth
And realise
It’s neither dark nor does it shine
Instead, it is sublime
It’s neither a fact
Nor a notion
It’s never static
Nor in motion
It travels in no single, straight line
Truth is simply a measure of time
The distance between your heart and mine
You could travel far and wide
And send me pretty, little postcards
I’d savour them as much as your name at the end of the page
And I’d cherish them still when they’re faded and unrecognisable
Because
Darling
I dream of people, not places
I look at words, not faces.
Mai Shayara hu, Sahib
Aap meri aawaz rok sakte hain
Alfaaz nahi
Mere khwaab tod sakte hain
Khayal nahi
Meri hakeekat mod sakte hain
Sawaal nahi
Mere aansu baha sakte hain
Muskurahat nahi
Meri jaan cheen sakte hain
Zindagi nahi
Mai shayara hu, Sahib
Aap kya hi kar sakte hain
[I am a Poetess, Sir
You can stop my voice
Not my words
You can break my dreams
Not my thoughts
You can turn/bend/warp my reality
Not my questions
You can induce my tears to flow
But my smiles are my own
You can take my life
But cannot erase my life
I am a Poetess, Sir
What can you even do? Or There’s nothing you can do]
Kal usne mujhe lijhaate hue kaha
Farz karo
To maine khamakha hi ek haseen khwaab bun liya
Aaj maine use satate hue kaha
Arz karo
Aur usne humare darmiyan ki hakeekat ko lafzon mein bayaa kar diya
It’s almost midnight
And I didn’t even realise
How time flew away
It was swift
It was kind
It was memorable
It was mine
And
Destiny smiled away
Tiramisu or Red Velvet
Whatever be your preferred sin
May you always have a hint of sweetness
On the tip of your tongue
Mountain peaks or sandy beaches
For vacation or a business trip
May your legs always take you places
From amongst yours wildest dreams
Summery sadness or wintery gloom
Torrential showers that often spell doom
May you always have a shelter over your head
And a warm hearth to call a home
Sultry red wine or the brashness of beer
May you be blessed in abundance with liquid cheer
And your kitchen should always chime and resound
With the sound of two glasses clinking together
Peppy beats or soulful restraints
May you always fall asleep to harmonic strains
Vice or virtue
Sin or righteousness
May you always have the freedom of choice
I saw daffodils
In February
And they reminded me of you
A tad before their time to bloom
Yet spreading cheer from across the room
They make for such a pretty ruse
Even becoming a great poet’s muse
But I, I know what they really are
Golden and glittery but far from actual gold
One whiff of you and man’s very soul is sold
I saw daffodils
In February
And they reminded me of you
I’m not good friends with the mirror on my wall
But I sometimes stop to stare through glass windows
Looking from outside in
Warm strangers wrapped up in their own cocoons of conversation
Raindrops trickling down
Baristas hiding their harrowed day behind plastered smiles and cordial hellos
Children running around
On a sugar high
The bitter sweet aroma of coffee cutting through the dense air
I’m not okay with the fad of gymming
But I sometimes take long hikes
Up a meandering trail
Through woody terrains
And green foliage
Pausing to let a small animal cross the path
Or hurrying to give a squirrel some chase
Till I reach a sudden clearing
Where, upon resting, I feel a sense of belonging
Where solitude does not invoke questions
But is the most sacred of traditions
I’m no fan of navigations apps
I sometimes prefer to stop at corners
And ask directions from vendors along the way
I don’t mind getting lost at times
Or even late
For the journey is almost always more fulfilling than the destination
The path strewn with a myriad adventures
They ask me how I am how I am
They ask me if I ever tire out
They ask me if I’d ever comply
And make a complete turnabout
And I get so confused
Wondering why
They’d ask something so obvious
Because
I’m just another girl, like no other girl.
The nature of life is such that it goes on. Moments, people, places and things may get left behind but we, we still move on. A path forged with pain and troubles is our lot. Yet we snatch moments of joy along the way, more often than not. Our complaints of today, seem like trifles tomorrow. People unknown today may become soul mates tomorrow. We could travel to the ends of the world, thinking of a land before time and still be unable to find ourselves, despite not really being lost. Yet, sometimes, a lazy day at home in your softest pyjamas, off the grid, may become the awakening you’d never even hoped for.
Because
If the world were perfect, it wouldn’t be.
