Nothing Left Here

Nothing can be mended anymore
Only the dark blue colored sky remains
                             But without any cloud
                             And so, without rain.
Nothing left here
Except the ash.

Lucknow, India

তোমাকে পাবো না জানি

তোমাকে পাবো না জানি
রাতের তারার অন্ধকারে
তবু তো বেঁচে থাকতে হয়...
তবু তো এই সংগ্রামমুখর জীবন বয়ে বেড়াতে হয়।

তোমাকে পাবো না জানি
ভোরের নরম আলোয়
আমার বিছানার পাশে
তবু তো বেঁচে থাকতে হয়..
তবু তো একা একা
দুমুঠো ভাতের জন্য
ভিড় ভরা বাস থামিয়ে অফিসে হাজিরা দিতে হয়।

Lucknow, India

Note: No translation available :)

When should a woman marry?

When should a woman marry?
When she would feel!

Who are these people
roaming freely in this society
holding a placard of a fixed number?
Who are these people in our neighborhood
who often find a chance to peep in
and ask the mundane question to parents
and make them feel sad and helpless?

Hey you, yes you;
I am talking to you;
Look, understand, comprehend
You are No One to ask this question.
Let her figure out
Let her find the number by herself.


So, when should a woman marry?
When she would feel!

Lucknow, India

The Conditioned One

Among three of them
Probably he is the most obedient
And most culturally conditioned.
The religious conditioning happened to such a degree
that rationality felt shy and buried her head down.

His golden heart
His golden mind
No, no, Not Enough!

In this 21st Century
He needs a massive push,
A thrust---to open his closed mind.

He needs to unchain the shackle
He needs to free himself
from his own deary dragon
which lives deep inside him.

I only pray
I only pray----for his liberation.


Lucknow, India

Khuda Hafiz

Nobody ever noticed your smile like me
Nobody ever understood you the way I can ...
Your eyes were lonely
But nobody read what was written deep inside.

You smiled, you played
You gave company to others
But there was no one who could read your thoughts.

Your fathomless and golden mind...
Nobody could touch the bottom
Because nobody knew how--except me!

My sweetheart--I am hurt.
My love will be always there for you
In this universe--we are always together.
In our own world of thoughts
Nobody can ever separate us.

I feel my time is ending here;
Time--who can ever count it
Time--who can ever divide it
I feel my time is ending here
Soon, we would choose our ways
Soon, we would depart.

Lucknow, India

Chained Motherhood

She didn't taste any freedom!
Nor she focused on having a career of her own.
Beauty was her only CAPITAL which she invested to find a husband.
Being chained by customs, rituals, religions,
                        and expectations of patriarchal society
She wanted to open the window--
                        To enjoy fresh breeze through HIM.
But that so called HIM also
enchained her by early "motherhood."

Lucknow, India