My Man Of Steel

My Man Of Steel

I knew a man of steel.

He left me what seems like a decade ago.

He taught me how to walk. 

He showed me the greatest gift of God,

The Bible, which he lived and adored.

His faith in God was blind and true.

Through many trials he had been,

Trusting Jesus, he tore them apart.

He fought life's battle to the end.

Oh and was his head held high.

I've never known a man,

With such passion to face the storm.

He took the bullets meant for me,

And smiled as they bounced off.
His cape gave me warmth,
And protected me from the winds of evil.
His arms still strong stood me as I faltered.

He flew high in the clouds while serving, 

And saved many lives educating.

My man of steel was my father,

He loved me dearly.
And he will protect us forever,
For his spirit flies freely.

Nanna

Nanna

'Stop! Put that back!

Say your grace first.'

Orders these were once,

Orders from my Hanna,

A woman of immense strength.

Through all the sorrows she endured,

A frown she did not wear.

A husband lost, a son taken,

Her mettle deepened further.

She taught me to be in-trepid,

To sail life's stormy seas.

A mentor she has been to me,

From early days till now.

Involuntary my being moves,

To be the woman she saw in me.

Honour, valour stayed with her,

Insipte her ailments, to the last.

She may be resting with Him now,

But her spirit breathes in me!

My Lord, My God

My Lord, My God

I see rivers of tears flowing.

Wailing, crying, lamentation.

I see fathers, tearing their hair,

I see mothers wishing death.

Have my eyes lost their strength,

Or do I see crimson everywhere?

Laughters have been subdued,

Futures have been butchered,

Dreams have been shattered,

Their heartbeats have been stopped.
They have stabbed our hearts.
Your hand-made flowers forced to wither.
The trees cry their wood in tears,
To honour their fallen friends, lovers.
Alas, there is no more wood, again, O Omnipotent!

Why, why, why my Lord?

Why hast Thou forsaken my land, my children?

Why keep us alive to bear grief forever?

Will my heart be torn at my peoples loss always?

Why my Lord, my God? 

Why this animosity? Why this bloodshed?

My tears flow like raging rivers Lord.

What must they feel whose children have been...

Why Lord? 

Show us Your compassion, Lord.

Show us Your mercy,

Show us Your strength.
Pull the locks off our tongues, Lord.
Give our bones strength to fight this menace! 

She Lives His Dream

She Lives His Dream

She sits in front of the mirror,

Being adorned and beautified.

She hears voices laughing,

They are from her childhood.
Voluntarily, her eyelids come together,
She sees her hero, her friend.
She walks the ramp, feet jittering,
And feels a kiss on her forehead.
She struggles to deliver her dialogues on set,
A smile eases the exigent demands.
They call her on stage,
To applaud her, to shower her with trophies,
To adorn her with accolades.
Her soul trembling, she misses him,
She misses his warmth, his heart beat.
And yet she smiles, like him,
For she feels his arms around her.
He is with her always, her father,
For she lives his dream.

She Need Not

She Need Not

She need not love me back, 

It is not a bargain nor a sale.

Love, my friends, in its purest,

Seeks not return or alms.

Woe to me.

Her heart I could not win.

She need not kiss my lips,

Let them be parched, dried, bruised without hers.
She need not breathe into me,
Let me be gasping for life.
She need not slay my demons with the touch of her hand,
Let me be driven into the wilderness.
Let my head be hung in loss.
Let me be a drunkard lying on the streets, stoned by children.
Let me be spit at, let me be laughed at.
She need not smile at me,
Let me be tormented a castaway.
She need not love me back,
For I am not worthy of her.

Carbon

Carbon

As beautiful as the diamond she may be,

So too is her heart, 

A stone.

She sparkles,

Only reflecting the light that falls on her.
A stone can never be faithful.
Carbon can never be useful.
She is carbon.
Hardened by time,
The cutter has removed flaws,
Only to make her beautiful,
To be worn,
Not to be loved.
She is carbon.
She pollutes my soul with her love.
Choked, gasping hard am I,
When I breathe her.
And she, ever so slowly,
Creeps into me,
Blocking my arteries,
Putting my mind in spans of unknowingness,
In a vaccum,
In a bottomless pit,
Into the pitch black.

Damn You're Screwed Pakistan!

Yesterday was the International Day for Persons With Disabilities. And in  what a wonderful way we celebrated it. Lahore, the centre of everything these days, witnessed what was, well inhumane seems to be an understatement.

Blind persons, asking for an increase in the quota for jobs, were beaten by police to prevent them from peacefully heading towards the CM House. Oh, sorry, His Highness' castle!

Yes Pakistan, you're screwed!

But I beg China, Germany, Turkey and all other foreign investors to come and invest here.

Invest in Pakistan, where artists are mugged on their way back from a performance. They also don't have their occupation as an option in the National Identity Card Database. And don't forget they're called 'Marasis' in Paki-land.

Invest in Pakistan, where girls from the minorities are forced to convert and people are burnt alive for personal vendettas. Where men, women and children of different sects are targeted and killed everyday. Yet we kill those who oppose the blasphemy law and 'forgive' those who actually commit it because they have apologised and are, well, celebrities-turned-evangelists!

Invest in Pakistan where the national game Hockey is in tatterrs and are asking for financial help from well-to-do individuals to attend tournaments. Oh, before I forget the Pakistani Blind Cricket Team Captain, a two-time world champion was also amongst those beaten up by the police in Lahore.

Please invest in Pakistan, where charitable organisation like Edhi and Chippa are looted in broad daylight. Invest here where all types of trafficking is 'legal'. Especially that of children.

Invest here, where we issue permits to influential Middle Eastern Shiekhs for hunting the houbara bustard.

And most importantly invest in this screwed up country where journalists are threatened, targeted, jailed and killed for bringing out the truth especially if it highlights the incapabilities of this government.
Oh, sorry, dynasty!

Please I beg you to invest, but in the meanwhile I'll keep my money invested in other countries. 

Your Words

Your Words

I sit down to write to you,

To write for you,

To make you understand how chaotic I am,

Without your smile.

Without you.

You're words of abnegation,

Have left me hollow.

These words were all I had,

Now they too have abandoned me.

What will it take?

Diamonds, rubies, silver, gold?

Do you not know,

You are all these and more?

Or, like these stones my love,

Have you no heart?

The Burden...

The Burden...

She had been eluding him for days,

Today, he finally corners her.

He grabs her by that slender wrist,

And twists it.

She whimpers, now her back turned towards him.

In the turning, her dark, thick tresses,

Brush his stubbed face and land on his chest.

He, ever so lovingly caresses them,

Over to the side of her shoulder.

He brings her closer and closer,

Till there is no room for the air to operate.

Their mouths suddenly run dry,

Their hearts wanting to pound out of their bosoms.

His hands trembling form a cradle.
 Her knees start to give way.

She turns her head, their eyes lock.

A tear runs down her flushed cheeks.
His lungs let air out as his whole being melts.

He breathes heavily onto her neck.

Softly caressing his lips,

From the nape to the lobes of her ears.

He kisses her. He kisses away,

The demons riding her neck.

He kisses away,
The mockings made by her own.
He kisses away,
The scars a monster once gave her.
He kisses away,

The burden of her young life!
The burden she had carried all alone,
For what had seemed like many lifetimes. 

Lie With Me

Lie With Me

Consummation do I not wish for,

Tis a hindrance in the way.
A hurdle to explore your soul,
To stop me from roaming its crevasses.

Lie with me so I can feel your heartbeat,

Feel it take me into the depths of the universe,

Where we travel through the stars,
Riding on a carpet weaved from the threads of our love.

Lie with me and breathe your spirit into me,
Fill my pit, heal my decayings with your love,

Let my pores emanate your perfume.
Let me rest my head in the curve of your back,
While you read  my words, my pieces.
Let me feel the mounds and hills of your soft flesh,
Their touch making my soul find hush.

Lie with me, let me rest my ears on your bosom,

To hear how your breaths form my name in ecstasy.

Let me run my fingers through your hair,

Their touch making your thoughts think only of me.

Lie with me, permit me to adorn your feet with my kisses,
To make them run to me when they are lost.

Let my lips be resonant of my passion, my resolve.

Lie with me and speak to me of your longings,

Let your words, the sweetest nectar,

Heal the scars of our lives passed.

Lie with me, my sweet love,
For years long have I waited for you.
Lie with me for I wish to explore your soul.

The Crowd

The Crowd

A quietus has been served,

Moirai has spoken of her will.

I run away from her,

As fast as my trembling feet can.

I reach to where they sell,

Souls for a lifetime of wine.

My caducity is boundless.

My crime, to love, beyond my estate.
A silence is what I search for,
A corner of loneliness.
There is no room for me,
Many like me occupy them.
I see a herd of souls.
I walk into it.
They moan, they cry.
Holding their bleeding hearts in their hands.
I sit in the middle of it, the crowd.
I wish for this torment to end,
A song of embrace I long to hear.
In its lamentations is a hollow silence.
With my eyes closed, my head in my knees,
I think of her.
If only I could have,
But now I am a part of something.
A strange void, where wails resonate,
Through the ears to the bosom.
It creeps like a ubiquitous fog,
Sealing itself onto my being,
Making me vacuous of my World!

River Of Her

River Of Her

A river cuts through the vegetation,

With her curves and bends.

Enchanted, in awe am I,

She flows calmly, majestically!

Form ages have I wanted to swim in her,

The waters of love and life.

To feast myself in her,

To quench my thirst, to breathe again.

It is the river of her, I dive in.

The piranha of her rejection eat me alive!

She tosses me onto her boulders,

Then spits me out at her next bend.

Helpless, lifeless, I cling onto her banks,

To the roots of the trees beside her.

They whisper to me,

"Watch her you can, drink from her you may,

Indulge in her not, you imbecile,

For once we did, we suffered the same fate,

We decayed on her banks and stayed!

Stay we shall, till time withers us away,

Or she abandons us for a new course!"

Who Will....

Who Will....

To hope is a good thing,

To wish only human,

To know reality and expect is foolishness.

Who will want a soul drifting endlessly?

A soul marred with hatred?

A soul that has been venerated,

To be thrown into the bottomless pit,

Where demons green, ride on its shoulders,

 Hailing, displaying their fresh hunt.

Who will want a heap of flesh porous and charred?

Porous from stabs of malice,

Drilled with their affrontedness.

A soul charred with a rancorous fire,

A fire inflamed by acrimony and grudge.

Who will want a heart despondent,

A heart once free, rebellious,

A heart that now accepts its fate.

A fate of barren trees, a parched river.

Who will desire such a melancholy?

A melancholy that may drown their euphoria?

She!

A vagabond was I, ravaged on these streets I lay,

Bitten and swollen was I with their venom,

The beating of my heart became distant.

Pushed, scorned, beaten, a laughing stock had I become.

They made ready for me, a deep well, my grave.

And through their derisive, irreverent chants,

I heard the sweetest voice, my Nightingale.

Her gaze made me want my heart to beat again,

Her smile mended the crevasses of my soul,

Her laugh strengthened my brittle bones,

Her touch, the flow of her veins,

Restored my decaying flesh.

I asked her what her name is,

She replied, “I am your light, your redemption.”

You O

You O

You O sun, drawn by Helios' quadriga,

An inferno, a sea of flames,

You cannot compare to my Sun,

She shines the brightest, 

She rejuvenated my lifeless being.

And others bask in her glory!

You O moon, are long passé,

My Moon is the fairest.

A silver light she transcends,

She calms the tempest of my seas,

And guides my lost ships home to her.

You O stars have lost your glimmer,

Her eyes in scintillation I see,

And now my wishes I wish upon them.

You O wind, I have replaced,

My Wind is sweet and gentle,

She runs her breeze through my hair,

And breathes her life in me.

Not Just Words

Not Just Words

You and some others may think of me,

A cretin, paranoid and judgemental.

My acts of desperation you cannot blame,
Tis what one does when madly in love.

I write for you and only you, my love,
For a lifetime I can pen down,
How your beauties my belle, shame the others.
 My enchantress, these words are all I have,
Though the universe you so rightly deserve,
These are not just words but pieces of me,
I send to you to gather.
Every inch of my being, from my puerile head,
To the tip of my toes which run to you.
Every muscle, every pore, resonates,
For ages have I loved and adored you.
These are not just words my love.
You read my breaths, the flow in my veins,
You read the amore of my soul.

I Wish To Sail

I Wish To Sail

I wish to sail with Hades in his boat,

Which Charon masters along with him,

No danake shall I pay to him, no obolus,

Wander I shall the shores a hundred.

Scorned by her in this lifetime,

I shall return in the next.

Her smile to see, to woo her again,

This ordeal shall I persevere.

I wish to be with Erebos,

A mist with him shall I become.

His darkness seems comme il faut.

For without her Helios is undone!

This melancholia will I embrace,

For she has fondled me not,

Enfold I shall Erebos and Hades,

My dwellings now Acheron and Kokytos!

The Gods' Dilemma

The  Gods' Dilemma

Stop, O you haters of life,

Withhold your filth desecrating this world.

Your sins are numerous, your penance none,

Halt, for a dilemma the gods' face.

Who shall Aphrodite hear to?

Ostracized are they who called out to her.

Eros roams crying to this heresy,

Hera lies ruined in the expanse!

Cease your sacrifices to Circe, to Melione,
To Persephone, To Tartarus, To Hecate,
Do not conjure Lamia and Thanatos,
For the pain of Acheron now turns carmine!

Where is he who offered to me turtle doves and apples?
Where is he who offered hare and wings?
He sails the Underworld, from Kokytos, to Phlegethon,
To Acheron and to the forgetfulness of Lethe!

We did not grant him his love Eros,
For years we loved his worship, his sacrifice.
Now despised by her, he has travelled this land,
Consumed by its witchcraft, its animosity, he lies dilapidated!

Bathe Her In Flowers

Bathe Her In Flowers

She has bathed in milk,

Her skin shines and glimmers,

Lobes of her ears hold onto the pearls,

Her lips protrude without a crevice.

Bathe her now in flowers,

Shower her with their petals.

Scent the milk she has bathed in,

Let her be redolent of them.

Bathe her in the sweet Wisteria,
Robe her in the lily of the valley,

Bathe her in the intoxicating Gardenia,
Adorn her with the blue bells.

Now bring my beloved to me,
Let me intoxicate myself with her.
To ignite the fire inside her,
And lay entwined with her till dawn.

My Darkness, My Vicissitude

My Darkness, My Vicissitude

In the tick of the clock, life became an anguish,

The braying of the nightingale turned into the owl's hoot.

The fertility of my pastures decayed into barrenness,

The lake dried up and the orchards withered away.

They shall take my Sun away from me soon.

Parched, I'm entwined with heaviness, unknowingness.

I could not imagine thee in white for another, chained.

For years long have I walked burdensome,

My head heavy and my eyes heavier,

Inebraited in wine, loneliness and sorrow I drift into the wilderness.

Refuge do I seek in the hush of the darkness.

For in the bantering light of the world I cannot see thee.

In the pitch black, with my eyelids clenched,

I see thy angelic face, my light, my redemption.

Thou whispereth to my ear, " I am free."

Thy breath warms me in this cold desolation. 

I wish this darkness no end.

I wish it no end till I am with thee,

I wish it no end till I die in thy embrace.

I Waste Not Time Thinking Of You

I Waste Not Time Thinking Of You

I waste not time thinking of you,

For I know He will bless me with you.

The Universe, its energy works for us.

My angel have I sent to shield you forever,

Tis what one does to be together.

I waste not memory sitting next to you,

Feeling you breathe and sweeten the air.

Those laughs, the gossip we usually shared,

I carrying you on my back, you hitting me hard.

I listen to the tunes we once danced to,

I waste not time yearning for you.

To hold your soft hands again.

To be enveloped in your arms afresh.

To melt in your warmth and breathe my last.

Candle Without A Wick

Candle Without A Wick

The Heavens have declared a solace,

A sanctuary I cannot visit,

A solitude I will not embrace.

For I drift into the vastness,

An emptiness engulfs me about.

I cry out to Eros, to Hera, to Aphrodite, 

Answers I receive from Ares and Dionysus instead.

Am I to saunter this expanse forever?

Oh bring her to me Eros,

For I have long endured anguish!

She surmises it to be besottedness!

As the Sun is wanting of fire,

So am I without my inamorata,

A candle without a wick, 

Waiting to be lit, waiting to shine.

No I Do Not Remember

No I Do Not Remember

No, I do not remember your heart-melting smile,
The smile that kept me going for these long years.
No I do not remember those lips that formed your smile,
The lips that I crave to kiss one day without my tears.

No I do not remember your Greek-goddess eyes,
Those eyes I loved more when were fixed on me at times.
No I do not remember your long, curled eye lashes,
They would glitter with the pearls of rain caught in them.

No I do not remember your black, silky tresses,
In their shadow have I wished to bury my demons.
No I do not remember  your small, soft temple,
Rested on my shoulder when you talked about more freedom.

No I do not remember how you always stood your ground,
How for everything words came from your heart.
No I do not remember you playing the guitar,
And how your tender voice always stood apart.

No I do not remember that a decade may have passed,
No I do not remember being told that people change.
No I do not remember you, not even a distant thought,
No, I do not remember that I have moved on.

The Crimson City : On Karachi in August 2011

The Crimson City

The knolls have tolled again my friends,

The Mullah's call heard loud and wide

Involuntarily to these an ear we lend,

Through the city runs another crimson tide.

Promises were made on the breakfast table,

'Today for a movie and dinner shall we go,'

'Wear that new dress as in that movie,'

Passes have I bought for the best seats.

She tells all her girlfriends about the plan,

Jovially the maquillage is advised,

His friends shout out, "Way to go man,"

"Thank God you put differences aside."

The sons, husbands and brothers are off,

The Sun of life soon for them will go down,

News channels blare loud, roofs blown,

Gun shots, fire! Tears roll down.

Sharp long nails in the coffins are hammered,

Friends and relatives would talk if they could,

A cry from the back their bonding has hampered,

The workers moan, "There is no more wood."

The sun has set for the wives and mothers,

A lonesome darkness will their lives abate,

And dare not forget the hopeful sisters,

Who for a glimpse will their lives abdicate.

My Athena

Every man has his Athena or longs for the true soul-mate. This is my version of Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and victory in war.




"Calmly, majestically, she walks. She enters where the 'gods' gather. The dark clouds vanish leaving a bright light to enter the hall. All eyes are set upon her, every soul desires her. Robed in sand and sky, followed by her entourage she makes her way to where there is water flowing. Her black tresses, her skin bathed in milk, beady and slightly protruding eyes that drown anyone who look into them, she gives a smile as she looks at me. My heart melts and cries a soft whisper, "Oh the gods have put Cleopatra to shame." I realise she is royalty, I cannot return that bright and cheerful smile. Yet, with a gesture of her thin, beautiful hand, she beckons me. As I am walking towards her, my heart stops beating. Hands shivering, I feel something trickle down my forehead onto my cheeks. I stumble right before her. She leaps forward to hold me. 'Zeus' rises looking on in disbelief and I, quickly break away. Swiftly I move out thinking of events that had and will occur. "I am not worthy of her," I say to myself. I turn around and she stands gazing upon me like a Greek goddess. She runs towards me calling out my name, asking me to stop. With a mixed and heavy heart I come to a halt. I can feel all eyes are set upon us, their venom flowing abundantly. I turn around again. This time with a fervour I had never known. She stops in front of me. I put my hand into hers. Looking into those intoxicating eyes, which soon water up I resolve never to let go of that hand from this moment on. And like a Greek goddess she walks out with me, head held high, leaving all in disbelief."

This is a poem I wrote a few years ago. God truly is there. People tried their best but I'm still alive.

WHERE ART THOU?

A darkness has engulfed the mansion

The rain stops for none in the expansion,

I stand drenched in disorderly fashion,

I wish to scream out, "Where art Thou?"

Why hast Thou forsaken me my Creator?

Why do these cannibals wish me dead?

Why hast my angel departed from me?

I have long cried out "Where art Thou God?"

Come to my aid O Omnipotent!

Those conniving sorcerers have bewitched me,

Come and rid me of this evil numbness,

O how I wish Thou rescue me Lord!

At last! My Savior has heard my plea!

He doth answereth my prayers of long,

I see them falling, I see them crying,

Of dust they art and dust they are eating.

All praise to God my Redeemer!

All Glory to His Holy Name!

All bow down before The Almighty!

He loves His created! He loves the innocent! 

'Band of Brothers'

Ah, friendship! Friends. As cliched as it may seem, true friends are hard to find and as Theophrastus said, " True friends visit us in prosperity only when invited, but in adversity they come uninvited."

I wrote this in July this year. Its an 'ode' to the gentlemen who have stood by me, through trials and tribulations, in honor of the men who did not shy away from standing up against the world for me. I am forever indebted to these extraordinary men who are heroes in their own way. 

Dreading, drudging, I walk the stony path. The night's mist surrounds me. I hear the owls howling. The heavy breathing of creatures out for a fill. The pitter patter of rain soon turns into a bantering. I try to find refuge under those age old trees I walk between, but their branches pierce my body leaving me gasping for more air. Cut and bruised, I open my mouth to quench my thirst from the water above. A few gulps later, I am hit by a hard object. I look around. There is no one. Fear grips and sends shivers down my already cold body. Again it hits me. And this time it keeps coming down with the rain. My only hope for water is soon turned into despair with the hail. I run my eyes and they come to rest on a tree like no other. The tallest and thickest of them all. Its branches stretching out like wings, providing a shelter from the howling wind and the stones falling from the sky. I rest against its bark, trying to ascertain as to why me.

 The distant sound of a cough alerts me. I unsheathe my sword. My armour and shield already disposed off miles away, I muster up the courage to face what ever it is. I see a tall silhouette. Then I see another as tall. Two more which are slightly shorter. I look closely and I see their faces. Bruised and weary, swords unsheathed, with their attire barely covering their spent bodies, they too are wanting to see who it is. With looks exchanged, an assumption from both ends takes place. We soon realise that we are of no danger to each other. They had moved out of the trunk of that tree to find whatever piece of dry wood that they could to make fire, looking at the ones in their hands, I gauged. With a moments swiftness swords are sheathed. We gather inside the huge trunk of that tree. Rubbing stones, we light a fire, exchanging our names and stories, each thinking that the other's is more melancholic. They have some bread still dry and I some wine still unadulterated from the heavy rain. The night passes but the storm worsens.

 We move on together. Battling the weather and fighting the hungry creatures, it seems like we have been together for ages. That is how long a storm may last. We walk forward, trying to make our way out of this forest, away from this incessant storm. After what seems like years, the first light of the sun breaks through the thick dark clouds. With a new spirit, we dance, knowing that it is over. A renewed strength is in our legs. We reach our destination, together. A place where the meadows are green. Where cattle roams freely. Where produce from the land is plenty. We call that place 'Band of Brothers.'

Friendship, for those who have experienced the truth of it may agree, is the best therapy ever! Share with them your joys, sorrows, aspirations, love-life, work-place issues etc. You will find that they will give you some of the best advice possible and after that, they'll start pulling your leg as usual!