Tha ek kagaz kora sa

Tha ek kagaz kora sa, 
kuch dhabbe roshnaii ke
umad'te arzoo-on ki khalish, 
kuch khaab rihaee ke

ik nigaah palat'ti hui 
pard'on mein simat'tee hui
kuch inayat hasrat ki, 
kuch pinjare duhaee ke

dooobti hain khwahishain
Girne se us nigaah ke, 
faaslon mein dard ke
hausle qaraar ke

pareshan hai kehkashaan
dil lage sambhaal ke
daud na jaye phir se ye
Lamhe chand visaal ke

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

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.

Jaane de

Le le dhadkan dil se, shauq e nazar jaane de
'Pahle maazi ka koi zakhm to bhar jane de'

Doobta sooraj kehta hai har kinare se
Chhod saath mera mujhko ghar jaane de

Aaya hoon duniya mein ek khayal ban ke
Hain khushboo mere khaab bikhar jaane de 

Gaate hue ik deewana guzra galee se uski
kaise batlaaye zubaan us per asar, jaane de

Baat zubaan ki hai Quateel baat behr ki hai
Seekh bhi jaayega tu magar jaane de

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

Why do i walk barefoot

Why do I walk barefoot
On the carpet of nettles
Of your memories?

Some escape inside
And travel upwards
Where my broken
Heart lies

They meet others
like them there from before
And join hands
To build a fence

A barbed fence that
Imprisons me
and holds me
In constricting embrace

None can enter
Nothing escape

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

Dont Talk. Just Text.

A word that doesn’t come out right

Is the one that starts the fight

Said in one, taken in another context

Henceforth don’t talk. Just text

I’ll be waiting by the phone’s screen

Heart a flutter and thumbs twitchy

Emoticons provide an easy subtext

Yes, let’s not talk. Just text

Unshadowed by tone let meaning prevail

when windless our words set sail

Neither are you lost nor am I vexed

If you don’t talk. Just text

Inattention is never a bone and

eye contact no matter of pride

when presence goes , voice goes next

so I tell you don’t talk. Just text

Cool as us, under the sky of separation

And of course when we’re together

Love is a given and needs no pretext

Unspoken words are after all just text.

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

Sher

Haqeeqat ishq ki humse kya poochiye 
Hum to saraabon mein saraabor hain





What is the reality of love you ask me
Immersed in mirages am I

Pompey Pompeii

I will play Pompeii and tell you just this much...

Gods don't favour labours of the common home
Nor Campainian upstarts against regal Rome

You can ask the aristocrats of our time
Syllas, Julians, Pius's stand and mime

Stories that Nola and Capua always knew
Which in time and telling grew

Short life everlasting tragic fame
Is the lot of the Pompeii name

One day my last happy heart was broken
And then Vesuvius for a task awoken.

Quateel Ahmad
May 4, 2013

THE DRUMMER

Lies in state resplendent
his old uniform brassy
Shined to a gleam
By someone I don't know

The flies buzz around
Its hot, the power's out
So far he's the only one
Not sweating or cursing
Probably at peace
Probably

The parlor window overlooks
The road to the cemetery
And in the verandah outside
The bench favoured by him
And his band
Where they smoked cigarettes.
Waiting to lead the final journeys
Disuse now writ upon the old bench
there is soft rubbery wood rust
that shows up after the rains
and just stays
Dries and darkens
Like the future of many

Of the perils a long life
the risk of loneliness is the biggest
He would recall certain days and deaths
With sadness and pride
When he led columns of hundreds
And of times when tears didn't dry

Its changing world this is
the young have no clue
Of the proper ways to death
And before that what it is to do

The drummer knew that and more
The town now full of strangers
The parish thin and weakening
The Bugler was the only one left
A wheezer with just half a lung

The wake seems long
And the arrivals few
Some just happened to be
so will stay for the final trip

Those who walk into the parlor
See pictures brought by the son
A life faded but vigorous once
A war and a wedding
some shiny shoes
Some gummy smiles
Him doing the jive

It is time and the Bugler makes
A sorrowful call clear and powerful
Eyes watering from pain
Of lung or bereavement
Who can tell

The body is placed
In Lobo's hearse,
newly repainted
Fittingly

The mourners numbers swell
Every household in the village
Is present here in flesh
And many more in spirit

All ready to go but none moving yet
Till the Drummer's son picks up
The drum and sticks and is adamant
Starts the final journey

His paced out beat not clearly struck
But timed perfectly
A lifetime of listening at work
The Drummer seems at peace
And his final journey marches
To the beat of a different drummer

Quateel Ahmad
2012