My love, she's elusive
She dances on my lips as I kiss her
With a breath she swells my heart
In a moment she's restless
The next she escapes
Her will against mine
Spritely formlessness against earthly gravity
Alas, she's gone,
What remains is an unseen scar...
Need be woven, each in rhyme,
Strange bonds, made once in time.
Do as you like,
Sing, dance or run,
Garner all the fun.
For people, dear or not,
Just be, who you are,
Serenely, carry your scar.
For every lie, there is a truth,
For every truth, a lie is spoken,
To mend the relations thus,
Promises need behappen.
For every night, there is a day,
For every day, there is a night.
Though it's on the left,
Heart is always right,
Be a sport and
Face thy fight.
Feelings, need to be said,
Voices, need to be heard,
Busy bee, though each is,
Embrace thy difference,
And be, a hummingbird.
Say what you mean,
Mean what you say.
For when, you are gone,
Let fond memories, forever stay.
Don't you be afraid,
For even if loss is ahead,
With love, as our might,
And beings together, let's tread.
Reason cannot suffice affection,
For every question, there is an answer,
For every answer, there is a question,
Break every prison,
Build your own vision,
Blossom you in sun,
Like many a colours of season!
Like many a colours of season!
Somedays I think
I'll just perish like dust
who just came in and out,
unknown to the world.
Or I'll just fall into
the layers of oblivion,
down and down, fleeting,
away from the sight of world.
And somedays, I think
It's the fear knocking at my door
Or it's the grueling pit, waiting,
to prison my soul
And will I ever escape,
once I become prey?
Will I ever walk
on the road that I made?
Somedays, I think
about this cacophony
of sirens, going loud,
in the dreamer's land.
Unrealistic seeds sown,
to wear the crown.
Will it ever replenish
to seize the day?
Or will it wither away
in winter's gaze?
And when the day comes,
to test the water,
I hide away,
Afar in the dungeons.
I shield myself,
from hurling stones
and box myself,
into the unknown.
And I think I'll perish to dust
in the grueling pit,
away from the rest.
As the steel waters of the Ganges
Turns darker, slowly and surely
A zephyr raises from the wide heart of the river,
Carrying your name.
Before my eyes, the past and present dissolve into liquid time.
I, a trader in 15th century port of Saptagram,
I, a soldier in the deceptive battle of Plassey,
I, a young boy shouting "Vande Mataram"
I, a refugee desprately
looking for shelter -
Through years and ages and eternity
I still utter your name
The zephyr blows like a love song
Soft words float in the air as cotton flakes do in spring
Find me a home, will you?
most of what we call a legacy is an arm
adorned in bangles with a ladle
wrestling coconut and almondette
churning in milk pushing us inwards
backwards anti-clockwise in history
i wake up to sunlit streets and dirty walls
painted red with sweet betel
hoping to love something taste funnel cakes
but to love something also means to surrender yourself to the thought
*this is overstayed sweetness
melting in my mouth *
i love my country the way we slurp garlic tea,
gulping the bitter grief slowly, painfully
sometimes not at all into mashes of aromatic cardamom and tulsi
most of what we call a legacy is
clean streets and diet drinks
way past their expiry an espresso in disposable plastic and
countless brown men eating packed lunches
most nights on metro rides
i watch youtube videos of bland dishes and plating tricks
and lose myself in the triviality of Western
humour,
most likable of a memsaheb
and most nights my country is fire
and my countrymen wood
warming food over sikari and earthen stove
my descendants moved through landscapes
with nothing but hunger and a few tools
and it feels ungrateful to write angry poems
about our democracy but let it be known
that l am tired and drained
emptiness disguised as country colours,
and fake promises
all it takes to lose hold
is to see our leaders fine-dining with our people
and soldiers open fire on protestors, their eyes
dying, brimming with questions
about the hope partaken in one-time meals
and later cleansed with cow urine
most of what we call a legacy is the promise
of erasure our old ones speak of heavens, afterlives
of *amrit* and betrayal
and other forms of transcendence but
not inheritance most of what I want
is most of what we don't have; a kitchen and memories of scents
the recipes of my grandmother
the appetite for family dinners banters over leaf plates
most of what we call
a legacy is misremembrance of delicacies,
feelings and attachments
this is what they call irony
this is what they call food
most likely to be cooked burnt
and thrown away
as a matter of tastes and preferences.
What I am supposed to do with this dead thing that you left with me?
Am I suppose to cry or let it hang for free?
Are you the supposed culprit who has killed my heart?
Left me with lifeless body; now the phantom has aroused.
It asks me, should I scare you with lofty voices or would you like some good memories?
Perplexed by these questions I let it take another life from me.
I understand my poetic cries must be suffocating you
But this is the only thing that you left with me in this breathless room.
Now, me and this phantom look at each other’s eyes
acknowledges we are the same lifeless bodies killed by your lies
You left us in this bottomless place without any air,
You shred the tapestry of our soul,
Wreaked our innocent hopes,
now you have dug us in this grave and you are roaming in the fresh wave.
Your plan was great, I must say
You committed the crime in front of my eyes every day
Still I let you kill.
Now me and my lifeless love are in this grave where your crime will always be safe
Because as they say, No body no crime.
You’re my sunshine
You’re my sweetheart
You’re everything I’ve ever wished for
You’re my moonlight
You’re my munchkin
You’re everything I’ve ever prayed for
You’re my stargaze
You’re my sweetie pie
You’re everything I’ve ever asked for
You’re my rainbow
You’re my rockstar
You’re everything I’ve ever imagined of
You’re my dew drops
You’re my darling
You’re everything I could ever dream of
You’re my flower bed
You’re my fairy
You’re everything I’ve ever hoped for
You’re my breezy air
You’re my butterfly
You’re everything I’ve ever wanted
You’re my whole world
You’re my wonder baby
You’re the miracle in creation
God has chosen me for!
तन्हाई
तन्हाई तन्हाई तन्हाई बस तन्हाई
कोई हो न हो साथ होती है तन्हाई
हर ज़ू खामोशी कायम होती है और महसूस होती है तन्हाई
हर कोशिश नाकाम नज़र आती है
जब दिल में घर कर जाती है तन्हाई
जब दिल परेशान और मजबूर हो
तो ढूंढता है तन्हाई
घेर लेती है किसी के यादों के साये
जब आस पास होती है तन्हाई
नम आंखों से आंसू जब छलक न पाए
तो ढूढ़ती है तनहाई
जब ज़िन्दगी ग़म के अंधेरे में खो जाए
और कोई दोस्त साथ न आए
तो साथ देती है तन्हाई
गर मौथ भी आए तो साथ होती है तन्हाई
तन्हाई तन्हाई तन्हाई बस तनहाई
कोई हो न हो साथ होती है तन्हाई
I was a small boy,
Playing with his toy,
Yet deemed a confusion, a puzzle they said.
The love I embraced, they labelled it sin instead.
My truth, they claimed, mere lust on display,
Greed they accused, casting my love astray.
As a boy, they forced me into a mould,
Saying, "You need fixing, your essence is so impure and bold."
They defined gender,
They defined love,
But my story was absent.
They aimed their words at me,
Yet I couldn't witness two princes set free,
For I was pushed into an abyss, unseen,
My feelings suppressed, and my existence demeaned.
My emotions lay buried at the very core,
A spark ignited when struck by words harsh and sore.
They sneered and giggled, finding my being vile,
Yet their taunts, their laughs, I couldn't reconcile.
For I was just a small boy,
Playing with my toy.
Time passed, clocks ticked, unforgiving,
I buried that part of me, my true self, unforgiving.
Loathing his existence, his very presence,
Convinced it was the devil's persistence, his eternal coexistence.
But they tried again, labelling and defining,
Yet this time, it didn't work, my spirit started shining.
Emotions surged, growing fast and free,
Unable to be contained, breaking through the debris.
It felt like sitting within the eye of a hurricane,
A storm within, yet a rainbow came, untamed.
Unnoticed by my own eyes, hidden by my side,
I grasped the flag of self-acceptance with pride.
Reborn with self-love, I ventured on,
Crushed again, yet with every rebirth, I grew strong.
Amidst agony and scars, I wore a skirt,
Painted my nails, wore earrings, and unapologetically asserted.
To those who said, "You are a man," I replied,
"Yes, I am queer, and in this dress, my identity won't hide."
The stares remained, the reality didn't change,
Yet with time the storm inside me ceased, and my pride arranged.
For now, I embrace that boy,
Who found joy in playing with his toy.
My bedside window
is pretty useless.
It doesn't offer a picturesque view;
just the sight of the neighbor's plain wall
that's built really close.
So close that
I could hammer a nail into it
through my window
and call it my own.
The wall's shadow
is its only offering to my room.
With great difficulty,
bouncing off this wall,
the last few rays of sunlight
manage to enter my room:
enough to wake my body up
but not my soul.
Despite all its shortcomings
my window still bears
a serene white curtain.
No light to control.
No human gaze to protect my privacy.
It is as futile as
dressing the dead
in new clothes.
Yet I make sure
the curtain stays on.
This has baffled my family
and friends.
Well, I have a reason.
Occasionally
the window lets in some breeze -
tickling the curtain,
setting it in motion.
Isn't it my duty to safeguard
this little love story?
Passover the loss of our Master,
To become the son of God,
On the first occurrence of the Sabbath,
After the paschal moon grieves over our past.
--------------------
A kiss of betrayal from his own disciple,
Breach of trust and blames shuffled,
But the apprehended Christ spoke not a word,
To prove the world of being the Anointed One.
--------------------
The priest claimed the Son of Man,
To have blasphemed the God we trust,
Pushing for a life sentence,
To crucify the Lord himself.
--------------------
Six hours of pain underwent,
With last three hours in compete dark.
As the almighty gave up his spirit,
The land quaked breaking shrines apart.
--------------------
As the centurion declared him,
Truly the Son of God,
They wrapped him into a linen clothing,
Placing his cadaver in his new tomb, carved.
--------------------
Three days later, from the tomb of rock,
Rose from dead, the Messiah we lost,
Turning the Black Friday, to a Happy Easter,
Making us recount on the love of our dear.
The clock, the armchair, canvas, colors, and ashtray,
The lighter she gave me and a packet of cigarettes.
I draw a puff as I stare, at the one I revere,
The girl who agreed to be my muse, this afternoon.
Hail heavens, she's so fair.
The colors I mix up are chiffon, pink,
Brown and porcelain. She shuffles in my armchair,
The only time one would without my consent.
Her hair rains over the cushions, her head leans back,
And her legs are hanging over the obtuse armrests.
She lays across the compass of my eyes, a swan
With blissful wings, raring to flip the only bedsheet
That covers her in this still. Her blazing eyes are,
Distracting, so is the smile that breaks on her cheeks.
The light on her head is dancing
As I sketch the lips, mine so want to meet.
Something's in the air, maybe it's her perfume or
maybe her treasured vase. Her movements are delicate,
A savoring crime, I try and advise her against.
She could have danced if she wanted to,
If she was here for more than just, this painting.
She could have rolled around errantly all day,
For I'd be there to catch her when she fainted.
I hope she's here to stay. All day.
Longer than the days.
I believe I'm immovable.
Praying for spring to stop,
To sweep her off of my tiles for skin.
Mercury in retrograde makes my room’s wallpaper darker.
Chipped nail polish never suited me
Neither did she.
So I longed for another’s weight to carry
Until I didn't. And blamed my beldam
Like I do with every antidepressant I take and every media I critique.
Her chai incinerates my throat. hence I drink it every day,
Almost moves me,
Then I use the kitchen knife to kohl my eyes.
Often I'm reminded her tiles match mine
so I don't leave mine unscathed, just like hers.
She is a woman. Naturally, she told me to die;
And succeed this time.
So she could paint my body with colours she liked, could bear.
Breakfast is always fulfilling- with salt and salt and salt.
My therapist told me to knit with her
So she sews buttons all over me.
When she gives me almonds, my amygdala dissipates.
I was morose and immovable in may
Then a mayfly flapped its wings.
She kissed my temple
Every inch of me moved and committed again.
कल्पना की कलम से
कविता बनाकर लाया हूँ ।
जरा ख्यालों की खिड़की तो खोलो!
ख्वाबों की खुशबू से मन को महकाने आया हूँ ।।
साहित्य के सरोवर से
काव्य रस का घडा़ भरकर लाया हूँ ।
दिल खोल के पी लो!
शब्द रूपी हर बूंद को चुन चुन कर लाया हूँ ।।
गीत, गजलों की दुनिया से
दिल को तसल्ली दे वो तराना लाया हूँ ।
ज़रा हाल दिलों का बतलाना!
शरमाकर, मुस्कुराना सिखाने आया हूँ ।।
बातों, मुलाकातों के शहर से
मीठी यादों की हिचकियाँ लाया हूँ ।
राज़ दिलों के बतलाना!
संबंधों को चंदन सी खुशबू देने आया हूँ ।।
जीवन के उपवन से
शब्द सुमन से लाया हूँ ।
प्रेम पराग चुन लेना!
शहद से मीठे बोल तोल तोलकर लाया हूँ ।।
अक्षरों की वाटिका से
महकते लब्जों को लाया हूँ ।
फूलों की तरह मुस्कुराना!
गीतों की थाली में सजाकर लाया हूँ ।।
मीठी वाणी की झील से
मीठे बोल से झरने लाया हूँ ।
संगीत के गहरे पानी में नहाओ!
बातों की बारिश में रिमझिम बरसने आया हूँ ।।
स्वरचित- नंदकिशोर
बकानी खुर्द, झालावाड़(राज.)
As she set foot into the last day of the year,
it made her halt for a while & ponder upon things that unfolded throughout the year
Some brought cheers, some brought tears,
& some gave courage that melted away her fears.
Spring, summer, rain & winter enlightened the entire year with their presence
As nature gives a chance to each season to unfold & spread its fragrance
Things worked upon together have turned into memories,
making her smile while she relived those past glories
In pursuit of happiness, some resolutions were made,
Some journeyed the four seasons & some happily got strayed.
The last leaf of the year revealed what was concealed at the start,
making her realise, agony and pleasure could be balanced if life is lived like an art.
As she set foot into the last day of the year,
it made her halt for a while & ponder upon things that unfolded throughout the year
Some brought cheers, some brought tears
& some gave courage that melted away her fears.
Shivi Saxena
The little fire
That ray of hope
She kept on lighting
With a smile like a bright flame
Never did she falter
Always joyful and tame
But when the strong wind blew
After whole nine years
The little fire was never to be seen again
Lost was she, in the air
With so many words unshared
Oh how I wished
Again could I see that face fair
There she stood
Bright like the sun
Radiating love and affection to everyone
Then there was that little drop of water
Her sister so she was
The water was distant and quiet like the moon
A true specimen of gloom
But both had a thing in common
Though impossible it may seem
Both hid their hurt behind a curtain of glee
The fire gave love to water so much
That the water could never return
The water could never mourn
Only churn, only churn
भूमिका: ये कविता एक प्रेमिका का अपने प्रेमी से संवाद है, जो अपनी शादी एक दिन पहले उससे मिलने आई है, उसकी शादी किसी और से होने वाली है। तो ये संवाद उन प्रेमी प्रेमिका के बीच का है
शीर्षक:– आखरी मुलाक़ात
सितारों के तकल्लुफ़ से, जहानों को संवारा है
तुम्हारी एक मुस्कान पे, हज़ारों ने दिल हारा है,
ये ज़ुल्फ़ों की शरारत को, यूँ मुख पे झूम जाने दो
बढ़ाओ कुछ कदम आगे, उसे तुम चूम जाने दो
सुनो, थामो नसों को तुम, दिलों की बात ना बोलो
ये पल बस मौन रहने का, उसे कुछ आज ना बोलो,
कि थामो एक उंगली फ़िर, और झट से छोड़ भी देना
जो जाए रूठ के तुमसे, कलाई मोड़ भी देना
कि कहना कान में उसके, कमर से थाम के उसको
कि सच कहता हूँ मैं जाना, राधा मान के तुमको,
कि अधरों पर, ये मुस्काने, दिलों की मौन रानाई
मुझे हर पल, हर एक क्षण में, तुम्हारी याद ही आयी
कि फ़िरसे आज रूठोगी, मनाने अब ना आऊंगा
मैं टूटा अब जो शीशे सा, कभी फ़िर जुड़ ना पाऊंगा,
ये आंखों में तेरे खंजर, बसी है प्रीत एक अंदर
ये काजल कर रहा पागल, उर्वशी से भी तुम सुंदर
ये जुल्फों का यूँ लहराना, नज़र का फ़िरसे मिल जाना
गले लगते हुए कहना, सुनो तुम, अब चले जाना,
धरा हो रूप दुल्हन का, श्रृंगार आंख काजल का
सजी हो अप्सरा सी तुम, क्या अर्थ मेरी पायल का
हिना में साथ उसका है, कंगनों में मेरी यादें
क्या करना चाहती हो जाना, मुझे समझाओ ये बातें,
कि मिलन की आज ये बेला, कसम से आखरी होगी
तू इस रात के उस पार, मेरे अब साथ ना होगी
सुनो, ठहरो अभी कुछ पल, सदी से जी भी लेने दो
तुम्हें कहना है काफी कुछ, अभी सब मौन रहने दो,
ये पल दो पल ही बाकी हैं, सफ़र में याद रखने को
हर एक मुस्कान में छुपते, ये आँसूं साथ रखने को
कि थामुं हाथ फ़िरसे मैं, या तुमको पास आने दूँ
संभालूं ये सभी साँसें, या इनको रूठ जाने दूँ,
कि शामों की ये रानाई, इसी पे वार देंगे हम
बहुत जीते हैं दुनिया से, तुम्हीं से हार लेंगे हम
चलो अब इब्तिदा दूजी, निभाना है हमें मिलके
कि यादों के इन्ही पल को, भुलाना है हमें मिलके,
ये सारे खत, ये तस्वीरें, मुझे न देके जाओ तुम
इन्हें भी पयालों के संग, सुनो अब लेके जाओ तुम,
सब्र रखना, अगर मर्ज़ी समय की फ़िर कभी होगी
किसी युग में तो राधा, सम्पूर्ण कृष्ण की होगी |
:– शिवम नाहर
Tears rolling down the cheeks
the poor, famished and miserable
While pearls adorn the wealthy wrists
the rich relishing a feast on their table
Cry for help
No one seems to hear
The fountain of justice
is a mirage, far from near
Nations engaged in conflicts,
not a sign of truce
Violation of human rights
has left a permanent bruise
Mankind deprived of its basic needs
Is it a good sign?
Do we have the time
for the fight of "yours" and "mine"?
Can I wish for a day
when the sun will shine bright,
Peace be everywhere
and equality be each human's right?
Never has she been truly happy,
May be because she has been fed,
A poison of high expectation,
In all she did, her true self hid.
They never saw her good, it seemed,
Expecting more, as if in a dream,
Money, fame, a relentless stream,
Her happiness, a fleeting gleam.
That was her waning from a
Full-fledged free and joyful girl,
To a pathetic people pleaser,
Where she began faking herself.
Never could she be her real self
In front of even her close ones
As she was afraid of losing'em
What if she couldn't please'em
As time went on, she grew weary
Of every phoney acts, she'd do
Standing before her toxic kith
Putting on those sheepish grins
Afraid of conflicts and alienation,
Bound by others in a constricted bond,
Afraid of disappointing and rejection
Neglecting self-care, a harmful direction.
Finally, exhausted, she said NO
Couldn't be someone else anymore
As she was entirely done with it
"No more people pleasing", she'd bestow.
Picking up the bits of herself
One by one, like a jigsaw puzzle
Putting herself back, she had won
Just to make things fall in place
With grace and might, she said her part
Her worth affirmed, a brand new start
Breaking free from the people-pleasing art
Embracing her truth, an opus of heart.
ಮುಕ್ತರಾಗೋಣ ಬನ್ನಿರಿ
ಮುಕ್ತರಾಗೋಣ ಬನ್ನಿರಿ
ಸದಾ ಶಾಂತರಾಗೋಣ ಬನ್ನಿರಿ
ಭಕ್ತಿ ಮಾರ್ಗದ ಮೂಲಕ
ಸಮಾಧಾನಿಯಾಗಲು ಅತ್ತಿಂದಿತ್ತ
ಹರಿಯುವ ಮನವನು ನಿಲ್ಲಿಸಿ
ಸದಾ ನಮ್ಮೊಳಗೆ ಇರಿಸಬೇಕು
ಕಾಮ ಕ್ರೋಧ, ಮದ, ಮತ್ಸರ,ಮೋಹ, ಲೋಭವನ್ನು
ಕಡಿಮೆ ಮಾಡುತ್ತ ಸಾಗಬೇಕು, ಇದನ್ನು ಸಾಧಿಸಲು
ನಿರಂತರ ಛಲ ಮತ್ತು ಆಸಕ್ತಿ ಬೇಕು
ನಂತರ ದಯೆ, ಪ್ರೀತಿ, ಕರುಣೆ, ವಾತ್ಸಲ್ಯವೆಂಬ
ಪೈರು ಬೆಳೆಯಬೇಕು
ಬೆಳೆದರಷ್ಟೆ ಸಾಲದು ಪೋಷಿಸಬೇಕು
ನಮ್ಮಲ್ಲಿರುವ ಕೀಳರಿಮೆ ಕಿತ್ತೊಗೆದು
ನಾವು ಪರಮಾತ್ಮನ ಎಳೆಯೆಂದು ತಿಳಿಯುವ
ಜ್ಞಾನ ಈ ಮನಕೆ ಬರಬೇಕು
ಬಸವಾದಿ ಶರಣರ ವಚನಗಳು ಮತ್ತು
ವಿಜಯಪುರದ ಸಿದ್ಧೇಶ್ವರ ಸ್ವಾಮೀಜಿಯವರ
ನುಡಿಗಳು ಮುಕ್ತಿ ಮಾರ್ಗದ ಪಠ್ಯಕ್ರಮಗಳು
ನಮ್ಮ ಜ್ಞಾನ ಗುರುವಿಗೆ ನಮಿಸಿ
ಶುದ್ಧಗೊಳಿಸಿದ ಮನದಲಿ
ಅವರ ನುಡಿಗಳನ್ನು ಇಳಿಸಬೇಕು
ಬೆಳಕಿನಂತೆ ವಿಶಾಲವಾಗಬೇಕು ಈ ಮನ
ಬೆಳಕಿನಂತೆ ಸ್ವಚ್ಛವಾಗಬೇಕು, ಬೆಳಕಿನಂತೆ
ಏನನ್ನು ಅಂಟಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳದೆ , ನಾನು ನಾನಾಗಿರಬೇಕು
ಸಾಧನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಆಕಸ್ಮಿಕ ಕ್ಲೇಶಗಳು ಮನಕೆ ತಾಗಿದರೆ
ಗಾಳಿಗೆ ಮರ ಅಲ್ಲಾಡಿ, ಮತ್ತೆ ಸ್ಥಿರವಾದಂತೆ
ಮತ್ತೆ ಮನ ಸುಧಾರಿಸಿ, ಸ್ಥಿರವಾಗಿಸಗಬೇಕು
ಸಾಧಿಸಿದೆನೆಂದು ತಿಳಿದು ನಿಂತು ನೀರಾಗಬಾರದು
ಸಾಧನೆಯು ಹರಿಯುವ ನೀರಿನ ಹಾಗೆ
ಪರಮಾತ್ಮನಲ್ಲಿ ಲೀನವಾಗುವರೆಗೂ ನಿರಂತರವಾಗಿರಬೇಕು
ಆಯುಷ್ಯವೆಂಬ ತೈಲ ತೀರುವ ಮುನ್ನ
ಭಕ್ತಿ ಪಥದಲ್ಲಿ ಸಾಗಿ
ಆತ್ಮಜ್ಞಾನ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳಬೇಕು
ದಿನ, ತಿಂಗಳು, ವರ್ಷಗಳು ಕಳೆದಂತೆ
ಮನ ಶಾಂತಿ ಸಮಾಧಾನವಾದ ನಂತರವೂ
ಜಾಗೃತಿಯಿಂದ ಪೋಷಿಸಬೇಕು.