ishq me marne ka mujhe shauk nahi ,
mujhe to har kadam maarti hai zindagi...

khuda ki rehmat hai ki kafir hoon main,
shaam e tanhai me jaam haraam to nahi...

hazaron khwahishen mere bhi seene me hain ae galib,
bas tujhse do lafz udhaar mangta hoon.....

kismat ne laake chhora aise manjar pe
door tak koi maikhana na aaya nazar me,
ek shakhsa ne bola ki koi peeta nahi is sheher me,
par kuchh chup sa ho gaya, jo maine poochha ki,
kya koi jeeta nahi is sheher me??

jaise patanga jeeta hai shama me jalne ke liye,
hum bhi jeete hain tujh par marne ke liye,
gar na mar paaye tere karam se,
to zinda bhi na reh payenge is sitam se.

aaj dil me achanak kyun uthi hai shayari ki chaah,
shayad yeh dil bhi sunna chahta hai waah waah.

inteha
hum jise chahte hain beinteha,
uske sitam ki koi inteha hi nahi,
ek nazar milai aur muh fer liya,
mano but hoon main, zinda hi nahi.

sabra
wo kehte hain sabra ka fal meetha hota hai,
ya khuda itna sabra na karwa ki diabetes ho jaaye.

Intezaar
umar bhar tera intezaar kiya hai sabra se,
ab qasid ke kadamon ki aahat sunte hain kabra se.

insaan ke zurmon ki kya saza dega ae khuda,
khata to teri hai, kyun kiya khud se hume juda.

The River
It is born somewhere on a mountain
as tiny and frail as a new born kid
and then leaving its home, carving its own path
braving those obdurate rocks
who are hell bent upon blocking its voyage
hitting then with vigour and never giving up
flowing exuberantly and boisterously
its goes on creating its own music
sometimes giving out a passionate cry
when a huge obstruction hinders its way
sometimes blowing a whistle of joy
it moves on and on
quenching the parched lips and land
shaking hands with petite rivulets
and then finally merging
with another copious stream
this sometimes makes me think
if it's a case of an identity lost?
perhaps not
because it's just that it has
coalesced into a more magnanimous body
and assumed a different name
but when it comes to satiating the thirsty
it's mission still remains the same.

Me Myself and My Heart
I feel trapped in a world
where the schedules are so jam packed
the heart feels detained in my body
and all the events look preordained
there's not a tinge of novelty
and things look a bit drab
I ask myself what's the point in living
if you see a tree but don't see its greenery
what's the point in living
if you see a lady but can't pen down
your thoughts in praise of her beauty
all of a sudden my heart jumps out of my body
it bids me good bye and I watch it go
but somewhere in that heart
there is a feeling which wants me to follow
so I let my heart lead me and together we proceed
we gallop with pleasure
and are as spirited as a steed
we leave the tarred road
and we find ourselves on a path of mud
we leave behind the cacophonous sounds
we are far from those metallic thuds
all that we hear is the sound of a
grinding mill coming from a distant hut
and it feels like Mozart playing his symphony
like all the santoors in the world
playing in accord
like someone meticulously
striking the right chord
moments later we are near a stream
and in it are swimming two ducks
they look at us and wriggle their necks
as if trying to smile
their contagious cheerfulness
amuses my heart for a while
my heart drags me by my hand
and jumps into a boat
and I row the boat towards a bunch of lilies afloat
I keep rowing the boat and we sail upstream
me and my heart both wonder
if it's real or just a dream.

The Rain
Dark looming clouds and chilly wind
precursors to a cool shower
outside my window stands a tree of tamarind
its branches swinging with great power

The birds look frightened
and return to their nests
O' that they are fools
don't know that it's time for fest

The wind gets less vigourous
as the first drop comes down
the children step out of theiri houses
and start dancing like a clown

The rain settles the dust
and clean is the air
I imagine if by any chance
the drops can wash down my despair

The streets look washed
and more verdant are the trees
O' rain will you come down once again
to dissolve all my worries.

The light fades as the dusk descends
The sun gets off the job
And a small firefly resents
It tells the sun
"Go to hell, I don't care
You think you are the only one that shines
But e'en I got a light that'll take me everywhere"
It comes out of its abode
And lingers outside my window
As if beckoning me to get up and follow
I'm drawn towards its light
Like a moth towards a flame
And before I can even realize
I'm in a strange game
I follow it trying to keep abreast
And it leads me without allowing me any rest
It takes me through streets
Glowing with neon signs
Brings me to a lamp
Burning on a ramshackle shrine
Escorts me to a meandering river
And in its reflection I see a moon and a zillion stars
Leads me into woods lambent with glowing yellow of fireflies
I ask it "why all this exercise?"
It keeps flying and doesn't reply
I cerebrate until I get the answer to my why
And all of a sudden it comes to my mind
That God has sent us a messenger in fireflies
Which tell us "So what if one light goes down
A million others will arise".