ले कर सुनहरी सुबह का हसीन सपना,
बे ख्वाब आंखों को सजाने,
आंखें भी बड़ी नादान है
कैसे यूं बहकावे में आई,
पलक झपकी की उजड़ी दुनिया
और फ़िर खाली बचे विराने में बसर करने
रात चुपके से आई।

-

Distance

It was 2 in the night when the bus dropped me on the periphery of the city. There was no other human to be seen. Dogs howled in the distance. My steps faltered as I walked further. Everything else was still, silent as the grave. Street lamps continued to glare at the path below them, which slept like a motionless serpent. The wind played like a child, upon rooftops, knocking gently on tree branches and brushing against the skin of my face, sending a cold shiver. I unzipped my jacket and allowed the pleasant feeling of comfort to embrace me. It had been a long time since I had hugged someone so affectionately. Even though my heart wanted to linger in that moment, my mind drew me back into the memories of that same summer night when we had parted ways. I still remember when it all started...

(Continued in caption)

-

हमको ये इल्म नहीं था
की मामला कब हाथों से छूटता गया,
हम करते रहे इनकार मगर
इश्क होता गया।

हम तो थे अच्छे भले अकेले, प्यार के दर्द से अलबेले,
न जाने कौन से मोड़ पर, वो हम से आ कर मिले,
लगा की कौन मुसीबत, आकर यू पड़ गई गले,
हम दूर भागते जितना, उतना ही राबता बढ़ता गया,
हम करते रहे इनकार मगर
इश्क होता गया।

हम जो कभी न कुछ थे बोलते
वही अब उनसे दिनरात गुफ्तगु है करते,
हम जो कभी न थे मुस्कुराते
वही अब चिड़िया से है चहकते,
हम जो किसी को एक नज़र भी न थे देखते
वही आज उनके दीदार को है तरसते,
जो गैरत थीं संजोई ताउम्र
उनकी चाहत में लूटता गया,
हम करते रहे इनकार मगर
इश्क होता गया।

अब उनके सिवा नही कोई और ख्वाइश,
अब उनके सिवा नही कोई और बंदिश,
अब उनके सिवा नही कोई और हमारा मुख्तार,
अब उनके सिवा किसी से भी नही ये दिल वफादार,
ऐसे ही मै बेरंग उनके रंग में रंगता गया
हम करते रहे इनकार मगर
इश्क होता गया।

-

People ask me why I can't write?
To them,
I say that my words are on strike.

(Continued in captions)

-

She & the leaf 🌿

With the breeze of summer wind
A leaf fell into her lap
Wrinkled, wornout & crumbling
Both her & the leaf
One searching for the resting place
Other finding it's resting place.

-

Random Thoughts

A fleeting moment has passed on
Whatever was the feeling back then
Now has vanished & gone
Feelings unexpressed
Truth unspoken
Lie unseen
What has remained is a living carcass
A void in its entirety yet unfulfilled
Now what has remained is a rage unqenchable
A regret about the loss unforgettable
Why are we left behind to solve an unsolvable puzzle
Why are we burdened to carry on the life which is uncertain.

-

I wonder what will happen
When we will finally meet.
Will you be that person which I have imagined?
Will I be the same person which you desired? I wonder.
When we will come face to face
Will we hug each other like two lost souls,
Or we will shake hands like two strangers
who accidentally meet,
Will we trade smiles erupted from within,
Or we will put on poker face to hide something,
Will we pour our hearts contents like a broken record,
Or we will keep silent as grave waiting for the moment to pass on, I wonder.
When we will depart
Will we promise each other to meet again,
Or we will bid farewell with a decision to never see again,
Will we look at each other covetedly
Or we will avert eyes from each other secretly,
Will we turn around & look back at each others vanishing figure,
Or we will turn around & walk away without an intentions to figure,
I wonder & wonder.

-

Remember when you held my hand & made me realize that I am not alone.
It was the first time when I felt like all my sins have been atoned.

Remember when you whispered in my ear those three magical words over & over again? I felt like the life in me has regained.

Remember when you caressed my unhealed wounds, though I was broken but felt like a new purpose had been found.

Remember how I worshipped you? Remember how I adored you?
Remember how madly I loved you? Remember how everything was, is & will always be true in my mind,
That I remember.

-

She & Sky

She looked at the sky full of stars
While sky looked at her soul full of scars,
She saw how stars twinkled like fireflies
While sky saw hollow her heart had become with constant lies,
She witnessed how moonlight lit up the emptiness,
Sky observed how her eyes where filled with darkness,
She felt the cold breeze reaching her from the sky,
Sky sensed the pain filled inside her fighting to break free & fly,
The tears started to flow from her eyes
The rain started to pour from the sky,
She yelled in agony
Sky roared in fury,
She wept, screamed & cursed,
Sky cracked, crumbled & burst,
Soon the floods of emotions recided within her mind,
Soon the clouds dispersed & sun stared to shine,
She looked upto the sky with renewed hope of better tomorrow,
Sky looked down to her with a satisfaction
Of washing away her sorrows.

-

The Ship of Theseus

You take something
And replace it with another,
You remove one thing
And hope to make it better,
You rewrite everything
And dream of creating greater,
Who gave you the power to steal?
Who gave you the right to kill?
As you replace little by little
Piece of myself,
As you remake day by day
Image of myself,
You rob me of my existence
Like the Ship of Theseus.

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