Kuttay - Poem by Faiz Ahmed Faiz -

for all the dogs who think they are not
by
Faiz Ahmed Faiz

CURSED

Years go by

Life runs out

You think you know

But it remains ever elusive

Nothing more than an illusion

Every episode of your life

Still it shocks you

Every single time

People and places

Ephemeral nuisances

Events and time

Scathing torches

Play the blame game

But the finger points at you

A whirlpool of self-loathing

An attack of hollow truth

Die to be right once

Beg to be heard

Lulled by deception

Stifled by guilt

Facing the mirror

Seeking the light

But the mirror’s clouded

And the light’s long gone

Years go by

Life runs out

You think you know

But it remains ever elusive

Guest Poet

Aakriti Vasudeva

A Journey Back in Time

A journey back in time,

A journey down the memory lane,

A journey through the yesteryears,

A journey through all those dwindling lanes...

The bonds time left behind,

The bonds no one bothered to mend,

How is it that time turned behind...?

To unite the bonds on the path to the end...?

An old friend comes along,

And suddenly you know where you belong...

Makes you feel alive,

Makes you feel special,

Knowing the unknown was anyway never a ritual...

The feeling of having someone back in your life,

After all the strife...

Suddenly makes life feel so complete,

It's tough to imagine how things would've been without this relation obsolete.

- Nupur Kherdekar

(Still thinking of a title...)

I can still hear the voices,
Tinkling in my ears,
The thoughts hovering over my head…
To my mind they cause a sear...

Locked I’d kept what inside,
Behind me those ebony shadows glide…
Standing with my arms open wide; beneath the sky twilight…
I still fail to embrace this emotion mystique.

My deeds, I do regret,
I accept they were deliberate…
This cycle of love and hate…
Neither of us can mitigate.


- Nupur Kherdekar

Sweet Release

Deep within

Unrest and turmoil it’s been.

Light won’t penetrate the soul.

It will wither, complete and whole.

Searing pain punctuates body

Hands reach in prayer to lordy.

Screams stifled, hands chained

Only writhing body, pleading eyes remain.

Heavy breathing, thumping heart.

Sense of loss, part by part.

Trapped by mind and muffled by thought,

This is the truth you always sought.

Now is the time to cease

Waiting for sweet release.

Guest Poet 

Aakriti Vasudeva

Loving You

Loving you is the best thing, I’ve ever did in mah lyf...

Loving you is like getting everything I’ve desired for..!!!

Loving you is like forgetting the past and the future and living the moment..!!!

Loving you is like getting free...

Loving you is to feel the soul...

Loving you is the innocence of a baby...

Loving you is the joy of getting drenched in the rains...

Loving you is the pious sin that i always did like to commit...

Loving you is like the ray of hope which forces me to live wen everything falls apart...

Loving you is the pain i feel, when you’re away from me...

And ultimately...

Loving you is the way in which i remind myself, that "I EXIST" ...!!

Guest Poet

-- Roma Lakhani

I saw this with my eyes...I swear...

The dove was dancing in the flames,
Eating the human flesh, freeing the human soul…

I saw this with my eyes….I swear…

White coat wrestling the fiery man on the black bull,
A dark laugh and the strings untangled setting the soul free.

The man on the black bull asked me to come along,
For I feared what would happen to my pop on a journey so long?

We kept crossing dimensions;
I could see the peacock dancing and euphoria making out with everybody.

Pop’s pain dissolved in the light so white,
I could feel him, but lost his body's sight.

I saw this with my eyes…I swear…

I did not want to come back from that abyss of unconditional love,
because down there, I feared the burden of responsibilities.

That plastic money, those Miami dreams, those virtual friends which once were my Achilles heel,
appeared to me as a pale dream and a car without the wheels.

“The dark energy will eat you”, the fiery man said,
“It will be hard to carve your identity once you go back”, he added.

As I crossed the dimensions sitting on a meteor,
A black cloud enticed me for the materialistic pleasure.

My inner full of golden vibes fought with all the courage.
But lost, lost all my innocence.

I forgot most of what I saw and where my pop was taken,
All I know is, he was in a blissful state.

I was so glad, but wait, what about her?
She was the women who lost her face to my dad.

Still not over building the castles of dreams,
She was forced to live in the city of foam.

The lady in tears still shouts out loud…waiting for him to come back,
Her angels cry, spitting blood on her snow white gown of happiness.

The avalanche of memories begs her to commit suicide,
He had to go mommy, from the heaven, he'll be our guide.

Millions of hugs are taking him to a height,
Celebrating moments together, all are merging with the infinite.

I saw this with my eyes…I swear…
I saw this with my eyes…I swear…

--Mayank khanna

*Distorted Dreams*

I thought I was complete
Had my tree’s shade blocking me from the scorching heat.
In her presence, my dark roads were again lightened,
Felt so fortunate to have a blend of pearl & diamond.

I actually had someone held my hand
Accepted the water along with sand
I felt the world through her heart,
Our soul was one and no one could do us apart

I was the kohl of her eyes,
Through them, everything appeared paradise.
She gripped me like a teddy bear,
Vivified me, losing her became my biggest fear.

The fear turned into reality soon,
The night faded, what left alone was moon
Though so many stars supported me around,
But died to hear, the night’s sound

Her memories are my most treasured possession
Which probe me to look for some unanswered questions? 

THOSE ROMANTIC WALKS
THOSE TOUCHY AND SENTI TALKS
THE GETTING WET IN THE RAIN
MEETING EACH OTHER AND GOING INSANE
LISTENING TO SOFT SONGS AND CRYING
LOVING EACH OTHER AND STILL DENYING
THOSE COMMITMENTS, THOSE PROMISES,
ILLOGICAL ARGUMENTS AND SUDDEN KISSES
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS AND CORNER SEATS OF THE MOVIE HALL
THAT MATCH MAKING AND HUNDRED’S OF MISSED CALLS
GIVING ARCHIES STUFF TOYS FROM POCKET MONEY
ADDRESSING WITH WORDS LIKE JAAN & HONEY

What do all these acts show?
Was I an object of use-n-throw?

If the feelings and emotions are just so fake,
Why do people put their life at stake?

To me, it appears like sugar-coated spinach,
Its first half is sweet, but the end is DITCH!!!


--Mayank Khanna

MY SWEET SUICIDE

In the sacred ocean of divine love,

Mighty tides often rose with your thoughts.

The agony of love became a painless scar,

When u rained in spring like an Iris flower.

The petrified ocean lost her numbness and pumped a beat,

When the scintillating moonlight covered her body.

She thought that moonlight only loved her and she danced all night,

Look at the irony…..**hahaha**…..she was so dumb, her own waves laughed on her plight.

The moon left early morning kissing everybody goodbye,

The ocean of love again petrified and waited desperately for the dark.

During the night, the moon sprinkled her light on every tree and on every castle,

So much drowned in love, ocean did not understand that it’s not only she who was so special.

One fine day the moon noticed and asked the ocean – “why does the level of water inside u rises everyday”

She answered– “It’s when you are gone, I miss you, and drink my own tears”

Moon, moved by her love, promised to shower on her, radiance closest to his heart,

Used to kiss her, cuddle her and hug her every time before he would depart.

Still, 15 hours of divorce everyday and sharing her love with everybody,

The ocean of love was all shattered and broken.

One fine day, the moon glided on earth seeing no glow on the face of her lover bride,

To his despair, he saw her cold body and frozen tears – a sweet suicide.

She had left a note for the moon – “I will watch u from heaven above u and once in a while, we will spend time alone, I can’t share you with others. You are mine”

The moon, then decided to spend 1 night with the ocean of love after every 14 days.

From heaven came the ocean of love and from space came the charming moon,

Made love to each other and, in each other’s arms, both of them used to croon.


---Mayank Khanna

SAY

when i say

you say no

when i say

you say no

why the yes is lost

amid this no

why the no is there

when nothing's said

let me say

before you say

let me feel

before you go away

the world is mute

still you say no

the world is mute

still you say no

when i say

when i say

--Anwar Khan

BARE THOUGHT

I am a muslim when I wear the skull cap

I am a hindu when I embrace the teeka

I am a christian when I praise the lord

I am a punjabi when I wear a turban

it makes me question one thing

what is a man with out clothes

what is a man without food

what is a man without shelter

I keep looking for answers

I realize a person without clothes

food

shelter

and religion

is

human being

--Anwar Khan