Aimless Restless Evenings

Aimless restless evenings 
lead to peaceless calmless nights
shapeless hopeless mornings follow
that baseless endless afternoons build upon
and this ceaseless cycle of ennui repeats.
Today somewhere a song plays
'Live is life'
Later they'll say I had smiled.

Bhantai Ghazal

BHANTAI GHAZAL

Ek shaq hai ek jo apne ko roj kha raila hai

Time pass hai ki time apun ko kha raila hai

auto ne band bajaa diyeli hai traffic ki 

Aur shareauto full, bus khali jaa raila hai

Malum nahin is sheher ko agla kaun choosega

Jo choosta nahin wo siddhaa khaa raila hai.

Omlet pau ko raste pe laane ke baad punter

hotel mein ja ke vada sambhar kha raila hai

Ye phoolon ki sej bhi solid hoingi nahin?

Apun to jaanu ko fattar per le ke ja raila hai

Beta din bhar gaadi mein babes firaa raila

Aur baap roj local se Marine Lines jaa raila hai

Waise mere dost sab type ke hain lekin

Jo building nahin banaa raila wo film bana raila hai

Waise ye shehar kisi saanp se kam nahin "Quateel"

Apne ko paida kiya abhi roz kha raila hai

22 July 2013

We are still beautiful

We are still beautiful
Yes our bodies bear the brunt of unkind times
And raiment torn and tattered
But our words shaped with beauty still
No lack of cursive form or embellishments
Our lips kiss poisoned seasons 
Faces are smoked and withered
Under flames of countless vigils
Our sundered dreams 
On earths of invisible islands
Lie in disarray
Like the wreckage of ships
Played with by merciless storms
And thrown onto shores in pieces
Were that blood raining 
Or desires of self destruction
In the journey of torment
What season did not come
And what season did not bring
Tears to our eyes
Solemnity to our tone
Yet not dirge escaped our lips
Never were we mournful 
Our hearts are like the 
Unworried smiles of children
We are still beautiful
Its been ages since we left
Those beloved lanes behind 
But still
Many known un known fellows
And the humane captors of their dreams
And the ledgers of the migration of their loves
Come to us from faraway lands
When the sun of rose tinted afternoons
Steps onto green velvet just emerging
And scares life into frozen beings
And in bodies long frozen
Rivulets of warming blood begin to humm gently
The bird of silent sadness
Under the bough of overwhelming grief chirps up
And a grief long forgotten
Becomes a fester afresh and seeps
That is when it seems
Our words
Are the faces of voices alive
We are still beautiful
Our pleasant demeanour guides 
the countenance of the righteous
And that is why we wounded existences
Live in the memories of their yesterdays
For they recount what they endure
Our wordsmithery is yet
Lovelier than life itself
The language of poetry 
Is for those who are grieved 
And wounded of heart in love
And faces like roses in bloom
With lips like ripe luscious fruits
That with sandalwood hands 
On the footholds of Love and Devotion
Write our names
All pain that was unkown
Becomes an ally
They are partners in passion 
Yes the imprisioned ones
And when they go to the slaughter
They sing our songs 
Of them everyone is proud
Everyone that shares this tumultous journey
On our limited existences
And our wounded compositions
Now we sign our names on pacts of our elimination
Now we are the treasure of the skies 
Now we are the needs of the earth
We are still beautiful
Quateel Ahmad
27/09/2013 01:46

Jo Kho Gaya Usey Bhool Ja

Jo kho gaya usey bhool ja
Main hoon darbadar mere saath aa
Jo mila use kabhi liya nahin
manzil per kyun ruka nahin

Koi beniyaaz koi benawaa
Yun hua ke hum ho gaye judaa
mera maan rakh kuch asar dikha
Ye na jataa ki tujhe kuch hua nahin

Mujhe jaan ke aziyaton ki sanad
Mere humkadam bhulaa nahin
Main shajar ki wo chhanni dhoop hoon
Lams jiska kabhi chubhaa nahin

Meri jaan tune li hai to
Ye karz bhi mujhper chadha nahin
Ek gumaan ki koi mere saath hai
Arsaa hua huaa nahin

Jo ho chuka use bhool ja
Main hoon darbadar mere saath aa

Ibn e Maryam hua kare koi

"Ibn e mariyam hua kare koi
Mere dukh ki dawaa kare koi"

Sar e aam kuch hota hi nahin
sab se chhupke mila kare koi

Ghamgeen kayii fasaane hain
hans ker mila kare koi

Ujalat mein hai yahi hasrat
Mere liye bhi sajaa kare koi

Diljooi ki tawakko nahin yaaron
Khoon e dil kab tak saha kare koi

Kehte hain ki main zinda hoon
Mujhsa na maraa kare koi
----------------------------------

matlaa Mirza Asadullah Khan 'Ghalib' ka hai. baaki ke ashaar mere.

Nazar pre sharm o haya ka hisaar baaki hai

'Nazar per sharm o haya ka hisaar baaki hai' 
Gulshan mein kaanton ka shumaar baaki hai

Har kaam usne kiya jo thha mushkil
Isi ka mere dil mein ghubaar baaki hai

Andheron ki hukumat hai chaar su lekin
Suna hai roshni ka ek dayaar baaki hai

Main gir chuka hoon jo apni nazron mein
Saamne duniya ke meyaar baaki hai

Chamakti hai ankh sun k taap ghode ki
Is mazdoor mein ek zamindaar baaki hai

Kya kahun main tabeeb se aur kaise
Ki meri neendon mein bukhaar baaki hai

Duniya mujhse door

Duniya mujhse door chalee jaa rahi hai
Jaate jaate mujhse khulee jaa rahi hai

Rishta to sar e aam mar gaya tha
Kyun dil mein chitaa jalee jaa rahi hai

Na likhi ho apni mulaqaat phir bhi 
Ek dastaan dekho banii jaa rahi hai

Aaj jhoothe vaade sa ise tootna hai
kamar zapt ki yun kasii jaa rahi hai

Parastish ki aagosh mein aa ke dekha
Zanjeer ibaadat ki khuli jaa rahi hai

beshaoor guzara sabhi ka ho gaya hai
Koyal raat mein bhi gaaye jaa rahi hai

Meri zindagi ke parde per ye duniya
Roz nayi film dikhaye jaa rahi hai

Ilzaam

Kya mere dil ka tujhper upkaar nahin
Isko Tere siva kisi se sarokaar nahin

Dua kar mera jee laga rahe tujhmein 
Mere jaisa doosra parastaar nahin

Ye ishq hai ya ehsaan hai tu hi bataa
Sach jo bhi ho mujhe inkaar nahin

Tinkon se jo sirf ghonsla bana paaye
Mazdoor kehte hain use fankaar nahin

Jhukne waala sar ye jaanta hai
Use ghuroor ki koi darkaar nahin

Meri baat ke chauntis matlab hote hain
Iska teen nahin to uska chaar nahin

Doughnut khaate khaate ye khayal aaya
Iske markaz mein bhi sarkaar nahi

Dar o deewar hum apni sajaa rahe hain

Dar o deewar hum apni sajaa rahe hain
Wo kahin aur tasveer taangne ja rahe hain

Mehfil mein humein bula kar dekho kaise 
Raqeeb-shumari humse wo karwaa rahe hain

Un logon ka anjaam kya hoga ab dekhein
Ujade khaime bhi jo loot'te ja rahe hain 

Ghar dhank bhi diya aaino se humne yaaro
Ye kyun ghar mein patthar nahin aa rahe hain

Zeest roshan karte ye armaanon ke sholay
Baraste farebon se bujhe jaa rahe hain

Vaaston hawaalon

Vaaston, havaalon mein nahin aane wala
Andekha ansuna hota hai jiska bulaane wala

Jab tak saansein chalti hain khel hi hota hai
Laut'ta nahin isiliye jahan se jaane wala

Vaada karne se pehle tum phir soch lo
Us din main wahan se akela nahin aane wala

Pur asar sadaa e taleem mein ajzaa e be asar
Maktab tak aata bhi hai andar nahin jaane wala



April 9free

Prismatic eyes

I stare into your prismatic eyes
Sear my sight searching
For the truth proves refractory
All that comes forth
from white unbroken light
Is a pure white lie

Sept 2012

Jiske haath jitna aaye utna wo le jaaye

Jiske haath jitna aye utna wo le jaaye
maal sarkari ho to hissa kaun lagaaye

Marta hai to mareez mar bhi jaaye
Maseeha hain so rahe kaun jagaaye

Muflis musalmaan jo ho jaaye
Wo phir bechaara bhi na kehlaaye

Putla banao to pathhar ka yaaro
Lohe ko zang akhir khaa hi jaaye

Sadte jhooth khoob hain sab nigal rahe
Pet ek din phool ke phat na jaaye

Lafzon mein zeher utartaa kyun nahin
Ragon mein ise kab tak koi daudaaye

Aye jo poochne log ustaad ke usko
'Quateel' sar jhukaaye bas muskuraaye

Khaahishein Behisaab Rakhte Hain

Khaahishein behisaab rakhte hain
Us par arzu e savaab rakhte hain

Taghaaful kare baghbaan to hum
Kaliyon per shabaab rakhte hain

lab pe sawaal le kar aayein hain
Jo ankhon mein kitaab rakhte hain

Hum ehl e sehra e furqat daraaz
Har lamhe ka hisaab rakhte hain

Baatein banaate nahin 'Quateel'
Ek yahi aib janaab rakhte hain

Quateel Ahmad
17 May 2013

Sulagta hai dil

Sulagta hai dil to karta hai sawaal bhi,
mohabbat mein aati hai subh e zavaal bhi

khamoshi mein hain pardadari ki alamatein,
tanhaiyon main panapte hain malaal bhi

muskurate ho ab bhi baatein karte ho,
rakhte ho dil mein bewafa khayal bhi

gile kya karun tum se kya shikayatein,
sannaate bhi hain sukoon la muhaal bhi

nibah rahe hain is salikay se rasm e duniya,
guzre chand roz phir mahine aur saal bhi

main apna haal e dil bayaan na kar paoon,
teri ankhen bhi khushk hain laal bhi