मंजिलें

हर मंजिल पहुंच हमने कहा
कुछ मकाम और हैं
अभी यह पाना है, यह बनाना है
कभी कभी यूं लगता है
यह हम मंजिलें बना रहे हैं
या मंजिलें हमे बना रही हैं ?
इतना हमे पता है
इमारतों के इस जंगल मैं
हमारी ईमारत बड़ी हो रही है
तुम्हारी झोपड़ी कि ऐसी कि तैसी
हमारी ईमारतें खडी हो रही है

Tanha

kis से कहें ki तनहा हम हैं
अकेले लोगों कि इस महफ़िल मैं
क्या तनहा कम हैं ?

Poetry Today

Sit

Sit, drink your coffee here; your work can wait awhile.
You're twenty-six, and still have some of life ahead.
No need for wit; just talk vacuities, and I'll
Reciprocate in kind, or laugh at you instead.

The world is too opaque, distressing and profound.
This twenty minutes' rendezvous will make my day:
To sit here in the sun, with grackles all around,
Staring with beady eyes, and you two feet away.

-- Vikram Seth

Tired of unpressing deadlines, I was random-surfing indiauncut.com,
and came across this poetry, which I distantly liked
As lazy is this afternoon as it is boring,
and without any unpressing deadlines, I wondered about the narrator
if it's old, wild or resigned
hurt, fallen or declined
musing or just passing time
that were all these attributes of the narrator
or mine

Bichadna

Here I am exaggerating a mild sadness felt at
leaving my old job, and people.

Janta hoon aaj ka din kal yaad ban jayega
Bichadne ke is dard ka kal namo-nishan na rah jayega
Phir bhi aisa lagta hai
Banne-Badalne ke is dard ka koi aadi nahin
ant nahin
Caravaan e jindagi hai yeh dard
Aur ek din mera naam
Bhi iska ek thahar ban jayega

Patan

एक वक़्त था, जब हम हवाओं का रुख बदल दिया करते थे
kismat का खेल देखिए
आज पत्ते भी gustahq हो चले हैं
सरसरा कर हमारे पतन का उपहास करते हैं

Ghrina

और कितनी बरबादियाँ हैं
ए इन्सान तेरी किस्मत मैं लिखीं
के अब भी तू कहता है
मेरी घृणा जाती नहीं

Dua

Aankhon main pyaar ki musqurahat rahe
Aur seena imaan se roshan rahe
Fakir bas itna mangta hai
Ki voh jeevan ki tadbeer main kayam rahe

Basant Aa Raha Hai

Khayalon main khoya
Ek Ped ke nicche khada tha main
Thandi hawa ka jhonka aaya
Halki si ek awaaz aayi
Maine upar dekha
Aur ek tahni muskai
Maine aankh jhapkayi
Khayalon ko choda
Aur tahni ke sur se apne kaano ko joda
Tahni ga rahi thi
Kal main koplen pahnoongi
Ki basant aa raha hai
Iddhar nicche, ghans ne bhi hariyali ki dhun thi lagayi
basant ke avagaman main
Usne picche na rahne ki kasam hai khayi
Udhar phoolon ke podhe bhi kar rahe the taiyaari
Ke Rang Rang pahan basant layenge
Maine bhi tahni ki maani
Chodi khayalon ki khincha-taani
Main bhi ghans ki dhun main ram gaya
Aur roshen roshen sooraj sang
Basant ke avagaman main lag gaya

Aaj Ki Kavita

is Indhan, by Gulzar.

Musafir

dagmag dagmag
tamanneyan machal padeen
ki machalna unka dastoor tha
phir kabhi dil ne ek gujarish ki
ke patton se hawa ki guftagoo sunoo
musafir bechara
tamannaon ka sang chod na saka
dil se moonh mod na saka
kabhi tamanaoon ke sang chalak pada
toh kabhi dil ki rah bahti nadiya bana
kabhi labzon main bayan karta chala
toh kabhi aankhon se kahani kahta chala
main musafir chalta chala
main musafir chalta chala

Anokhi Sunwayi

yahan se door
bahut door ek baagiche main
aaj raat raat ki rani ka darbar lagega
phoolon ke baithak hogi
gulab dahaliya sang aayega
mogra mahak mahakayega
aur bhi kai aayenge
aaj baithak main gulab ke dard ki sunwayi hai
kai saathi pyaar ki bhenth chadhe hain

ab raat dheere dheere nikher rahi hai
sitare bhi jhuk ke dekh rahe hain
akhir majra kya hai
gulab fariyaad le kar aaya hai
mujhse aur dard dekha na jaata
o raat ki raani, pahle bhanvre ne loota
phir maali ne chaanta
aur ab bhale maanas ne dilwaloon ke liye kaata
kyun yeh mera jeevan hai
kisliye mera rang hai
kya meri khata hai
kyun itna dard mujhe mila hai
ji main aata hai kyun khiloon
kyun na murjha jaoon

Raat Ki Raani Unchai par virajmaan hai
Chanda Maathe ki Shoba badha raha hai
Sitare ab kaan laga sun rahe hain

Raani kuch is tarah se boli
Priya gulab
dard toh har jeevan main hai
par isliye hum jeevan nahi thukraya karte
main tujhse kahti hoon
tujh bin soona bagiche ka aangan hai
tu nahin toh nahi jeevan hai
tu jeevan ka darpan hai

tera dard hamara dard bhi hai
manas ne hame bhi kata hai
par subah ki dhoop main tera khila rang dekh
hame bhi hosla aata hai
ke jab tak jiyen mahak mahakayen
jaise tu khila khila kat jaata hai
waise hi hum bhi mahak mahak kat jaayen
ji jaayen
haan ji jayen

Bhatakte Kadam

mere kadam dhoondte dagar
chalne ke liye
bahakta man kai dishaon main lehrata hai
ke jindagi mohabaat ke naam kar jaoon
ya bandigi main doob jaoon
ke gagan ki ucchaiyon par aankh lagaon
ya mitti main hath rang daaloon,
seva-shram ki jhopdi banaoon
par phir sawal uthte hain
yeh mohabaat kya hai
bandigi ki dafa kya hai
aasman ki unchai main kya hai
mitti mai rangne se mera kya bhala hai
dehko is aadmi ki vidambana
ke kadam toh hain par
dagar nahin
Khwabon ki imaaraten toh hain
par roshen koi manzil nahin
Is par kisi ne kaha
Ki Dost, Kadam chalne toh de
dagar Khud-ba-Khud mil jayegi
Maine poocha mitr, dagar hai bhi
ki bekar hi dhoondte hain
Mere kadam
Dagar Chalne ke liye
Yeh toh Maskhari thi
Par Sach main yeh lagta hai
ki bhatak rahe hain kadam
dagar ke liye

Sing Along

sing a song
bring along
some joy
and peace

Last two evenings have been beautiful. My way back to home involves a twelve minute walk to the bus stop. Day before and yesterday, I took to singing aloud, to my hearts content. Since mostly all traffic has their windows up, and usually I am the only walking soul, I can afford myself. I pity the poor trees and the grass. They are so good. They don't complain. Yesterday, I hummed Tagore's ekla chalo, again and again, as valley winds brushed past by. Such Joy, to sing aloud. Letting your words disappear, with no one to hear, but the valley winds, the open skies, and the spread fields. Such delight, to watch the birds glide, and sing along.

Panchiyon ki Baatein

aaj subah maine panchiyon ki chahchahat suni
madhur komal
nirmal nishchal si prateet huyeen
unki baatein

Dheemi-Dheemi si shanth subah thi
Dhoop se Dhuan Chat-ta hua tha
Aur sangeet ke moti beekherti theen, unki baatein

kabhi rukte, kabhi chukte,
kabhi zor se, kabhi shor se
suna maine panchiyon ko karte baatein

kya kaha, kisne kaha,
kuch samajh na aaya
Phir bhi ajab tha unka swar, ke man muskaayaa
Jab aaj subah, suni maine panchiyon ki baatein

Gujre Pal

kuch lamhe aise
rah-rah kar yaad aayen

On a Stone's Throw

A stone is thrown.
Plop.
Ripples now. The lotus sways a little. Reflections of the trees are still steady, a little distorted though.
And lo. There's some wind in the leaves, filling the empty spaces.
A butterfly has come from nowhere. White and Yellow. Buzzzzzz. Some noisy insect in the grass declares its right to freedom of speech. Yes little one, you are the king here.
And Splash; ducks have flown in, stirring the water. Ripples of fluttering wings. Few dives. And now they have settled, wafting gently with their red feet. Our King here has become silent now. Perhaps tired. The delicate one flips about upon the blades of grass.
And only the colors of pervading green, stirr the silence now.
All that on a stone's throw ! Ha !

Old Sailor

Sits by the shore, a sailor, with his tattered boat
watching the endless waters
Strength fails him, Old that he is
Yet defy he must, and once again embrace the sea
To live, to die
Sailing Free

To the Tree

This I say to a tree friend of mine
that you'll have leaves in no time
O friend, though it's you whose leaves have fallen
Yet this hope and this suffering
is mine

My Search

I shall not go looking for good men
I know they are rare to find
But I shall look for goodness in men
And I shall reflect it in kind

Nayi Hawa

(This is without much thought)

poorab ki kis hawa ne mera darawaza khatkhataya hai
Yeh konsi bayar hai jo mujhe baagiche main bula rahi hai
Yeh kiski awaaz hai jo mere kaano tak aa rahi hai
Main toh apni tanhai ke andhiyaare main gumsum baitha tha
Yeh konsa ujiyara mere aangan main aaya hai
poorab ki kis hawa ne mera darwaza khatkhataya hai

Is dastak ka jawab toh mujhe dena hi padega
Is baar toh poorvai ko andar aane dena hi padega
Yeh main hi toh tha, jisne deewaron ka mahal banaya
Yeh main hi toh tha, jisne darwaazon ko band karwaya
Maine hi layi thi tanhai, Aur maine hi kiya tha andhera
Ab darwaze ko khol kar, roshni ko andar aane dena hi padega