curiosity, concern, compassion and collaboration
kaali! are you still looking for an offering
but i told you so many times
that i dont offer gifts
it is as if an adjective takes away
some thing deep from a noun
gifts may lower the value i attach to my devotion
but then it seems
that is not how you think
else, why this hesitation,
why this delay,
why this sullen look
may be
i should pray harder
and look with in me
when a babbler behaves the same way
and a squirrel does not devite
from script too much either
why does myna stroll alone, afar
looking for insects in grass
greened by a small splash of rain
drought had taken a toll otherwise
of the ambitions of grasses in my lawn
to make your feet clam and smooth
but now how do i persuade those blades
which are rough, and not willing to lie down
like you, when you are upset and are upright
sneha nahin hota itna seedha sa ek upakram
kiski badha ban jayey radha, kaise jaaney ham?
kaun usko yaad karey, kaun uska janmdiwas manayey
radha to thi krishna ki poorak, uska parv kaun manaey
kisney radha ki vedana jaani, kisney usko pooja akela
kyun nahi ho saka krishna uska poorak, kyun nibhaye ham chhal uskey
let me clean the step of the temple again
she says, i will have to come back here again
because prayers once offered have a habit
of calling the devotees to their doorstep again
is that why Kali, why you never spare any one,
those who adore you and love you
and those who have learned their lesson
but can one really love, learn and still live
bas swaron ki sarita mein
baha dey chintaon ko chalo aaj
mat karo kisee jawab ka intzaar
nahin ayega yeh rahi apni aadat se baaz
yuhin hi nahin dhoa hai isney itna bhoj
hkya pata kab ho jayey isko bas itna hi bodh
jindagi rahegi tabhi to ho payega safar jaari,
kar payega koi anwarat apni deewanagi bhari shodh
bereft of any doubt
the sielnce had broken a promise
what was not supposed to be said
had been said
the broken bridge had been
relaid
now, you can cross over to the other side
sow seeds, tend the garden
if you need, you can manure the soil
that remains to be tilled
it will bloom, i have no doubt
when will you recall
the promises made before the mazar of a saint
to engulf all the memories
with a shawl of silence
no matter how much does the
crying child
of a bright lit night demands attention
jindagi gujar kahan rahi hai, yah to thahar si gayi hai is shahar mein baarish kuchh kahar si padhi hai beh gayey hai ghar kuchh, mit gayi hai shaksiyateyn lekin ek arzoo milney ki mitati nahin hai, aakhir kaunsi mitti ki bani hai kis kumhar ne ghadi hai kahin to darar hogi, pani ke risney ki kabhi to pukar hogi ghul jao jao ghul jao mujhey abhi yahi thaharna hai, jindagi ki jid ke aagey thoda adna hai kya pata kab shaam ho jayey main thak jaun aur raat ko yeh guman ho jayey aaj to koi thaka hai kisee aaram ki talaash mein jaga hai chalo usko sula dey thoda chain usko bhi chakha dey
I have never seen
A quiet bird and a chirping snake
Without any worry about what to make
Of a misty morning and shining night
That has no beginning, nor end of delight
How can one fathom, the true essence
How can one see, when forest is so dense
I will still try and seek
A ray of light, not very bold, may be a bit meek
You can now choose, and decide
Whether to abandon the ship or take a pride
In destroying a nest, made in the corner of your window
Have you ever realized, the fragility of fire, or its glow
I have decided to tell you
How much I aspire
To see you and absorb
The moments of truth
Which will remain intact
No matter what we do
To the intervals of desire
Or the long spell of rain
Which washes the footprints
Of a walk along the trees
Singing, smiling and when
The spirit was free
But then freedom is a virus
Which can afflict any dream
Liberating it from our hearts
So that it blossoms in the beats
Which will now have to endure
Evaporation of the tears
How else can one explain
Why there was no pain
When time stuck it spears
I have not asked you for long
To stay still and let me see
How you decided to mutate
The meanings of my smiles
Here, now and also there
Without any concern or care
How do I absorb the nectar
Of all the expectations
Without being able to assess
The limits with in which we see
What is ours and belongs to none
But then that also gets diluted
By the thoughts of the moments
When we are together,
Without a purpose, without any rush
Without a meaning, with no reason to hush
Any question, or anxious nights
Unable to decode, the time, or its flights