Random Lamentation ..

To be honest, I staggered midway through this poem as to how to go about it or how to give it an ending which am not at all satisfied with what it has got but I had to finish it to feed my blog hence its being posted.

On another note, the theme of this poem may not be appropriate enough to complete my 200th post on this blog but its how it is; my life, my blog. Hope you’d tolerate my excessive outpour of pain and its dimensions.

No signs preceded the tempest;
the sky hid secrets
under the hoax of clear azure

before it split
to inflict a fierce pain-storm
upon me.

And wells swelled with every
step you took on your way
back in your sudden defection
from my chest.

The tides rose
to blur the dreams
of islands in my eyes.

Like a boat, severed
with torn up sails, I float

on the whims
of wild winds intent
on giving me the torture
of your loss
before sinking me deep
into obscurity.

Zama Jwand ..

Don’t ask me the meaning, my life’s devoid of it ..

The Glory Is Just One Step Away ..

We are bruised by internal strifes. We are down with the nuisance of militancy. But we are rising somewhere else, on the horizon of World Cricket. The world is looking at us with awe, with wonder. We are about to dazzle their eyes with the flashes of our talent. We’re about to lift the coveted trophy of the ICC World Twenty20, 2009; we are just one game away. a mere single game.

What we did last night was a proof of our capabilities. It was a slap on the faces of our detractors who wanted to close the doors of world cricket upon us. We were isolated. We were pushed to the corner. What we did last night just was a fitting response from the cornered tigers.

We are one game away and we need it the most. Our nation deserves it the most.

Come on, Afridi, Gul, Saeed, Akmal and all!

Just don’t let your desire fall!

Come bring the glory home

Which will roam

In the poisoned body

Of our ailing populace

To intoxicate

Like a panacea does ..

P.S: Picture courtesy www.cricinfo.com

Update: We’ve done it! We’ve just done it! We’re on top of the world in Twenty20 cricket! Our boys’ve made us proud! We’re the champs!

Welldone team Pakistan! Welldone boom boom Afridi! Thanx for the smiles you brought on to so many agrieved faces in Pakistan! Thanx for giving us the present of the world Twenty20 trophy! Pakistan Zindabad!

FAQ’s about me ..

Ayesha broke her boredom with writing some FAQ’s about her. She handed us the questions to be a part of the game as well. I thought it to be fun so I came up with my answers. Here they are;

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought?

This morning while preparing for office. I was rather worried for my reddish eyes.

2. How much cash do you have in your wallet right now?

Something in access of 1500.

3. What’s a word that rhymes with DOOR?

Floor.

4. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone?

My elder brother.

5. What is your favorite ring tone on your phone?

The pouring water.

6. What are you wearing right now?

Dress pants.Shirt.Tie

7. Do you label yourself?

A born pessimist. A wanna be optimist.

8. Name the brand of the shoes you’re currently own?

Not a particular brand.

9. Bright or Dark Room?

Lying in a dark room, introspecting in complete silence.

10. What do you think about the person who took this survey before you?

Intelligent. A nice blog fellow.

11. What does your watch look like?

I don’t keep watch these days. Mobile jo hay!

12. What were you doing at midnight last night?

Reading a few articles before preparing to sleep.

13. What did your last text message you received on your cell say?

It was a ‘Keep smiling; Good Morning’ message written in the reversed order for confusion.

14. What’s a word that you say a lot?

‘I mean or means’ .. and .. ‘bakwas’ .. I’m not supposed to utter the later frequently though

15. Who told you he/she loved you last? (please exclude spouse , family, children)

Ah! I wish if that could happen!

16. Last furry thing you touched?

Nothing really. I’m not that into furry things

17. Favorite age you have been so far?

Teens when I was worry free but thats a long time ago

18. What was the last thing you said to someone?

Lets meet in a day or two; I was responding to a phone call.

19. The last song you listened to?

Sajni by Jal.

20. Where did you live in 1987?

Mardan

21. Are you jealous of anyone?

Not at the moment. Its hard to accept but yes, I have been in the past.

22. Is anyone jealous of you?

I’m ignorant bout it.

23. Name three things that you have on you at all times?

What else could it be apart from clothes; other things like sunglasses or cap are on when required.

24. What’s your favorite town/city?

Islamabad

25. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper and mailed it?

Way way back in college I guess, to a friend who joined PAF and we exchanged letters; classic letters those were, old fashioned, literary type.

26. Can you change the oil on a car?
I don’t need to

27. Your first love/big crush: what is the last thing you heard about him/her?

Last night I saw her; she lives in my dreams

28. Does anything hurt on your body right now?

Yes, my elbow that I injured when I rolled over the exercise ball in the gym a few days back.

29. What is your current desktop picture?

Blast Of Red

30. Have you been burnt by love?

Ek aag ka darya hay, aur taer ke jana hay .. Its a continuous sensation of burn, I guess.

Now its MZ’s, Nayni’s, and others’ turn to play the tag and have fun.

The Heart Spilled

It was ripe
with red, luscious blood
as it fruited
on a stalk of love, rooted
in the very soil
I’ve been molded from.

It waited to be plucked
and savored,
but a stone of indifference
burst it into a spill
of scarlet pain
which absorbed
into the very soil
I’ve been molded from.

Pakistan’s Campaign In World T20

They were beaten badly by the South Africans in their first warm up game of the tournament but worst was to come later when they were trounced by the Indians in front of a packed Lords stadium, a match that was more than a warm up, a precursor to their further troubles against a desperate English team in their first match of the World Twenty20. Pakistan lost in a shambolic manner in a worst display of rusty batting, erratic bowling and a performance of fielding, the less mentioned the better.

They entered into yesterday’s match against the Netherlands with lots at stake; the aspirations of their supporters in millions, their credibility to prove themselves one of the better cricketing nations and most importantly their survival in the very tournament they were playing to move to the Super Eights in face of the challenge of a passionate Dutch side who had tasted the blood of success by catching England unawares in their first encounter. Pakistan weren’t to succumb, though. They played with a purpose and it showed when they posted a challenging total of 175 with all the senior players like Kamran Akmal, Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik and Misbah playing responsible knocks. But it was Shahid Afridi who tied the Dutch into knots and they never managed to find a clue. Saeed Ajmal and Shoaib Malik bowled well too, supported by a surprisingly good glovework by Kamran Akmal to take Pakistan through to the next phase.

The contentious statement of the Pakistan captain Younis Khan that ‘Twenty20 cricket is more for fun than serious business even if is international cricket’ in the wake of their loss to England raised a few eyebrows in the cricketing circles, didn’t prove that bothersome last night when the Pakistani team brought a few smiles to the sad faces of the Pakistani masses. We just hope the fun continuous . It is very much needed in todays Pakistan.

The Songs Of Silence

The symphony of your soul
harmonized with the beats
of my heart
in a melodious tune,
which nature composed,
echoed in ourselves

but the orchestra faded
in the rising clamor of a
scornful throng – they feared
music may enchant us
to the forbidden tracts of love.

We laughed at their naivete
as we sailed above the reach
of their graveling din
to share the songs of our silence
and meet in an eternal embrace.

تہی دامن

Khurram Khiram Siddiqui, a good friend of mine, a talented young poet who writes poetry both in Urdu and English, launched his first collection of poetry called ‘Hayat e Nau’ in an impressive ceremony held at the Pakistan Academy Of Letters a few days back. A gem of a collection, ‘Hayat e Naw’ represents various angles of the skill Khiraam holds in writing ghazals and both contained and the free form of Urdu nazm; he epitomizes the traits of a classical poet with fresh poetic sensibility. The poem below called ‘Tahi Daman’ is one of my favorites in the mentioned book. Hope you’ll enjoy it.

ذات کی بے بصر خامشی

ذوق اظہار پر چھا گئی

حسرتوں کی نمو

خوف دشنام سے نا مکمل رہی

جو کیا مصلحت کے تقاضوں میں چھپ کے کیا

اور سمٹتے گئے ذات کے خول میں

بے یقینی کے محبوس ماحول میں

سانس لینے کی جراءت نہیں کر سکے

ہم کسی سے محبت نہیں کر سکے

The Blank Diary

To similize the protagonist’s life to that of an un-attended diary might not be an apt analogy, but the thought came when I looked at the blank pages of the diary I keep rather unwritten. I’ve been treating my diary badly for not sharing with it things that it deserves but the blame should go to my inability than desire; I’ve been hit by a bad bad expression block for quite some time and the things I pour every now and then on this blog are desperate efforts to come out of it. This poem’s no exception. I’ll definitely like your comments for improvement.

A diary book famished
for a feeling to reflect,
I turn page after a blank
page of existence,
each the passing day,
yearning to absorb
your woes,
to preserve
your bliss.

In the pitch dark
your stare draws
a silver streak of hope
over this heart
but the words
I need, lie frozen
in your arctic self

I wait for
a climate change
to melt your thoughts
in a flow of words
towards me

and I’ll ever adorn
my being with the
gems you’ll express,
till I’m placed
in the archives
of the past.

The IDP’s Of Swat And Buner

Ignominy pulled the chaddars
of the heads of their womenfolk
and indignity handed begging bowls
to the men once very esteemed.
Their children flash on our tv screens
like stars but they are meteors of irony.

The protection of their homes
sulked into illusion for no fault of theirs
as they stumble upon mirage after mirage
getting hurt in the process.

The piercing holes of bullets in their souls
are beyond the therapeutic agents
but their bodies could surely be saved
from the sharpened jaws of the apocalypse.

Let they not be consumed by strife,
chasing the humans like a beast on pursuit
for we may well be the next
if it fancied the human blood.