Author: anilg

when the crackers were bursted, and celebrations were held
i was quietly standing under a tree
and asking myself
what were we celebrating
why was there no noise of the litany of complaints
that you had made so often
about my indifference
why should i be forgiven
why should i be redeemed

when i prayed at the grave of a sufi saint
i did not know that my prayers will be answered so soon
i wanted the flowers to bloom in every garden
that is sown with the seeds of sincerity
and the garden was in spring
but i was not the gardener
may be i was not sincere enough
but then why was my prayer answered
ma kali
you have always left me puzzled with these questions

is that how you reward your
incessantly persistent devotees

the time took leave
and we were left standing for pages to turn
but book had no will to turn the pages on its own
and the writer had not yet decided whether to write more or not
here, like a character of an unfinished book
i am waiting

fortress of my defenses fell down
in one moment, just a moment
my deep defenses were raged to ground
you said
what was true
but why did it take so long for me to understand
should i call you when i miss you
or when you may feel better,
my entire confidence in my sensitivity was dissolved
now, i am going to relearn, recaliberate and renew
faith in my intuition, yours has left a lot for me to learn and still grow

ma kaali tum shant mat ho
klant hridaya mein karuna
jaatey huey tumhara mudna
kisee pathik ka kisee pukar ka na sunana
yeh saab kya hai
prarthana hai kya terey dwar
tiraskrit hain sarey adhikar
phir bhi karuna bhara swar
terey mandir mein aaj phir goonja
kuchh yaad raha, kuchh kpi hai aaj bhoola

chalo phir se bahayey nadiya mein
sara ka sara bhram
aur karey maha prayan
tum muskurao, aur mera tootey abhiman

pashano ka hriday bhed,
nadiya bah gayi,
kisee kinarey ki alochana ki parwah bina,
jaaney wo lahar kya keh gayi

jab tak main poochhata,
ek ke baad ek kinoron ko tod,
wo jheel bani
ab usmey kamal jo khiley, unhey kya main poojata

when the patience was renamed as perseverance,
the steps of a stair became wings of a bird
it flew all the night till it was tired
took rest under a tree which was shaken by heavy rain
it seems she sensed its shaking roots and flew again
the bird is flying endlessly
but the tree has been swallowed by the currents of heavy downpour

whose silence,
was swallowed by whose words,
who knows,
but does it matter,
when the sounds of the silly stirrings of a breeze went astray,
collided with waves of untamed sea,
witness was worried,
will he have to record the collision,
he melted quietly in the misty air,
you have inhaled his spirit,
let him be washed away in the waves,
gone astray

bahut kareeb se mat deklhiey
is khat ko,
ho sakta hai bantey waqt jo
kamiya reh gayi thi kagaj mein,
wo dikh jayeyn
majmoon to padha nahin jayey
par kagaj ki timardari mein samay gujar jayey
aayieye thoda door chaley
aankhon par lagey chashmey ki dhool utarey, thoda aankhey maley,
jo dikh raha hai,
kabool nahin ho pa raha
kyun aur kamiyan nikaley
kyun khushiya dutkarey
aur ho sakey to de nazm ki aahuti
aashirwad na bhi miley
par dhueyen ki gurbat ko salam to kar ley

breaking boundaries,
brought a river in spate,
but then did it care if some lost their place,
i am quietly standing, like a rock,
which will be pulverized sooner or later,
and then will you be able to locate the dust you liked
in an island in the sea,
hazy, hesitant but visible nevertheless