वो में थी या कोई और?

वो एक चंचल लड़की
हिरणी से चलती उछलती
उसकी वो वो उन्मुक्त हंसी
होगी क्या झंकृत कभी
वो में थी या कोई और?

अब तो मन में है चिर उदासी
हर तरफ नीरवता विराजी
हर आत के बाद है सवेरा...कहते सभी
क्या मेरे जीवन में होगी वो सुबह कभी?

देखा था एक सपना
प्यार करने वाला हो कोई अपना
पर कहता है मन तभी...
अरे पगली टूटते हैं सपने सभी

फिर क्यों ऐसी उत्कंठता जो कभी न पूरी हो?
ऐसी अभिलाषा जो सदैव अधूरी हो?
क्या ये ही परिणीती है मेरे अस्तित्व की?
यूँ ही रहेगी मेरी आत्मा रिक्त सी?

आ जाओ, कि तुम्हारी प्रतीक्षा में अभी भी रत हूँ
में चिर विरहणी सी....

Coz You Are There For Me

Conversations that spills into the quiet of the night

asking "how was your day" and then actually listening

with eyes closed...reaching out with words

soothing and healing....

Talking of this and that and everything under the sun

about laughter...about joy… about pain and tears

and yet listening to what is not being said

Of our deepest fears

The little everyday nothings that mean so much

“What did you cook…What did you eat”?

Letting the voice wash over you

As the hearts beat

The night draws on, and as the heartbeats mingle

The woes and the pains melt away

Goodnights said across the wire

Till the next day….

My First Snow

It was my first winter
in this foreign land.
I felt like an uprooted tree
into the snow from the sand. (am from Rajasthan)

The night fell early,
the trees were all bare.
It looked as if the end was coming,
no more did God care

Then came the first snow,
Softly…silently…very white.
It settled on the road, on the grass,
nestling in the arms of the trees it sighed.

The world looked totally different,
a quiet magic filled the air.
It looked peaceful and serene
a white blanket everywhere.

I felt strange, almost exhilarated;
All the bare branches and getting dark at three
was just God prepping the world
before He got into his winter spree

Kahani

Machal gaya Munna us raat
Nahi suni fir usne kisi ki baat
Karne laga voh manmani
Aaj to sunke rahoonga mein koi kahani


Maa tum busy ho office mein har din
Mein karta weekend ka intezaar din gin gin
Aaj Saturday tumhe party mein hai jaana
Kabhi to sunao maa kahani, lori ya koi gana


Bhar aaya maa ka man sun Munne ki baat
Beta hum rahenge tumhare saath hi aaj raat
Aaj mein tumhe sunaoongi wohi kahani
Jo bachpan mein sunati thi mujhe meri nani


god mein lita ke maa papa ne kahani sunai
Munna ko itna khush dekh dono ki aankh bhar aayi
Lets make Saturday family time papa said
they hugged each other with arms wide spread

Coffee.....

“Just black, no sugar” Zohra turned around. She hadn’t heard this voice in 10 years. Her mind went back to when she had been 18 and had met the 35 yr old Aslam, a widely acclaimed writer...long hair, black framed glasses, ragged jeans, the personification of all stereotypes. Even his black coffee had been so “adult” so “serious”. She had been enthralled but soon disillusion had set in. He spent hours locked inside his own mind, thinking… writing…creating and she was shut out. Many a mornings the empty coffee cups were the only indicators that Aslam had been home. Even his black coffee irritated her...it was so “pretentious!!” She had grown out of him. Looking at him now she wished…

The Color Green

she asked “the color green..

to you what does it mean?”

ohh honey honey

it’s the color of money

freshly minted bills of green

spell success I said with a gleam

“oh do they?? she said

what about the weeping willows on our river bed?”

they are fine as they are

they don’t put food in my belly or gas in my car

I will have them cut and get the woods clean

And I will bring in bundles of a different green

“They have been here for many generation”

She said with a horrified expression

And they did what good?

Cut them down I definitely would

There’s only one color green my honey

And thats the color of money!!

Bhartiya Rail Ki General Bogi

Bharitye rail ki general bogie

Apne jheli to zaroor hogi?

Ek din hamara bhi number aaya,

Jab general bogie ne humko bulaya

Chad gaye le kar hari ka naam-

Raksha karma hey bhagwan

Kisi ne maari kohni kisi ne dhakka lagaya

Finally bogie ke beecho beech khud ko paya

Wahan ka nazaara tha sabse alag

Lagta tha maano machhli bzaar ho ekdum sajag

Makhiyoon ki bhinbhinat si thi sabki awaaz

Bhinn bhinn the sur pahiyyon ka tha saaz

“abbey dikhta nahi kya” “bhrasth hai sarkar”

“saala kameena kahin ka” kahin thi baatein kahin takraar