The Beggar
I’ve seen many a time, a beggar. He sits under the old oak you know, Just down the street. He sits there with his hands spread Crying out just, just a rupee for today’s bread. He is pitiable. I wonder why he took to begging. He is not disabled, that much I know And his handicap, it never does show. Was it joblessness? I asked. But to this he just smiled. My attempts to know him were futile, And he’s been there all this while. I’ve known him for ten years now And till today I wonder, why? But my questions get lost in his smile.
Time to Fly
Some pages in the book of life are best unread No point looking back nor consider retreat Got to find a raindrop that patters to your beat There is a cloud that has your silver line There're shells at a beach for you to find Spaces for you to venture into Challenges waiting for you to try Dreams waiting to come alive Go on! Turn the page Life's waiting to be lived It's not just spreading your wings But courage that makes you fly
An Ode… To Those Who Believed
It's not easy to walk a different path To set off on a journey where questions abound The doubts they flourish when you are stepping onto roads That are foreseeably bumpy, uncharted, even inexistent Risking it all doesn’t mean absence of fear The clock is your enemy and the mirror isn’t your friend When you have only yourself to blame and to rely When there are no maps or guiding stars in the sky Tis the believers who hold the torch For the explorers on their onward march No birds ever flew without the wind beneath their wings It is their belief that fuels the hope each passing day brings
The Choice
Why should life be lived On someone else's terms One needs to feel the angst Of their own itches and burns Who knows when a right may come Even if it is after a few wrong turns Happiness lies in chasing ones own dreams What good are wings if they are tethered Life is only fulfilling if it's lived unfettered
चेहरा (ज़िंदगी का)
कहते हैं चेहरा रूह का आइना होता है आइना भी मगर कहाँ सारा सच बतलाता है हँसते खिलखिलाते चेहरों के पीछे अक़सर झुर्रियों के बीच गहरे ज़ख़्म दबे होते हैं चाहे अनचाहे मुखौटे पहनना तो हम सीख लेतें हैं हक़ीक़त मगर अपनी गली ढूँढ ही लेती है लाख छुपाने की कोशिशों के बावजूद शिकन आख़िर नज़र आ ही जाती है हम सब कोई ना कोई बोझ तो उठाए दबाए फिरते हैं बस कभी कह के तो कभी सह के सम्भाल लेते हैं ग़म और ख़ुशी तो सहेलियाँ हैं कब एक ने दूजी का हाथ छोड़ा है इन दोनों के रिश्ते में जलन कहीं तो पलती है ज़्यादा देर एक साथ दे किसी का तो दूसरी खलती है ज़िन्दगी है कैसे और कब तक एक ताल पे नाचेगी ग़म लगाम है तो ख़ुशी चाबुक फ़ितरतन वो भागेगी
दंगल
वाक़िफ हैं तेरे हथकंडो से ए ज़िंदगी फ़िर भी उलझन पैदा कर ही देती हो लाख़ जतन सम्भालने के करते हैं मगर बख़ूब धोबी पच्छाड़ लगा पटक ही देती हो थेथर मगर हम भी कम कहाँ दंगल में तेरी उठ के फ़िर कूद जातें हैं थके पिटे कितने ही हो भला ख़ुद पे एक बार और दाव लगाते हैं तुम्हारे अखाड़े की लगी मिट्टी नहीं छूटती बहुत चाट ली ज़मीन की धूल गिर गिर कर ये विजय नहीं स्वाभिमान की ज़िद्द है जो लक्ष्य नहीं चूकती अब निकलेंगे अपनी पीठ पे या बाज़ी जीत कर
चौथ का चाँद
एक ऐसी ही चौथ की रात थी जब एक चाँद बादलों में छिप गया फिर लौट के वो दिन आ गया एक चौथ फिर से आ गयी फिर आँखें यूँ ही नम होंगी यादें फिर क़ाबू को तोड़ेंगी वक़्त थमता नहीं किसी के जाने से फिर भी कुछ लम्हे वहीं ठहर जातें हैं लाख़ आंसुओं के बह जाने पर भी कुछ मंज़र आँखों का घर बना लेते हैं यक़ीन बस यही है के एक दिन समय संग पीड़ ये भी कम होगी फ़िलहाल नैन ये भीगे विचरते हैं एक झपक में एक बरस यूँ बीत गया किसी दिवाली दीप फिर जलेंगे उन दियों में रोशन फिर ख़ुशियाँ होंगी छटेंगे बादल चाँद निकलेगा जब इंतेज़ार अब उस चौथ का है
Forever Indebted
For caressing my curiosity beyond a tome For creating a home away from home For helping me get up after a fall For pushing me to give it my all For encouraging thought and creativity For ignoring acts of teenage proclivity For the angry glare and timely reprimand For simply saying “I understand” For making sure I became the best version of me For I couldn’t have made it this far had you just let me be
Mother
I walk alone Trying to find a way back home I look for a landmark Yet I keep coming back to the start I am tired and strained The sights and sounds seem unfamiliar The shadows grow longer I am scared and frightened I see a light shining in the distance I open my eyes Yes, I am home A loving touch A hand runs its fingers through my hair It's you mother I am comforted by your tender loving care
A Date with a Memory
A Marked Calendar! How does one prepare To face impending despair What do you do When you know the blues are going to hit you You see the pages of calendar turn A date with a memory awaits Passing time hasn't yet healed the burns Of a day when you were hit by a cruel twist of fate You try to move on Carefully treading down memory lane Past flashing images of a loved one gone The heart laments, aches and pains The day passes punctuated with awkward silences With the mind and heart attempting conversation What one says the other refuses Each year its the same situation Someday the mind hopes the heart shall learn To look back and remember The years of pure joy And not just one bad day in September