Fate

It has been four years since you were taken away from me by the cruelty of fate. I still remember your beautiful face when you smiled in that orange dress. The tears flowing from my eyes still wish that they could stop to see you smile, to challenge the brightness of the sun, to put the winter drizzles to shame but Alas! you're gone, far beyond the realms of my world. While I run in this wilderness laden with the falling snow flakes I appear cold and numb but inside I can feel the warmth of your blazing love. You'll never know how lonely I am left without you. Yet again I want to hold you, to hold you and cry out my pain on your shoulders, to hear your heart beat for me, to hold your hand tight but all's vanished, vanished like the vapours in air.

I've never seen any sunrises or sunsets after your left... it seems everything has just, just stopped happening. Sometimes everything is so blindingly bright that I am unable to open my eyes while at other times it's all darkness, darkness encompassing everything, far and wide. I don't like anything here. I want to be united with you for eternity.

Every year on this very day I look up to see your face and I see you, I...I see your rosy cheeks have turned pale and your eyes swollen. You've also cried time and again since then. I want to wipe off the drops from your face and tell you to stop crying, tell you that one day we will meet, again. But I hate it when I can't touch your face. It seems I've lost all my strength to even raise my hands up to your face.

You put a red rose at my grave and burst into more tears. Then you run away and leave me, leave me to sleep and wait for another year.

यूँ छोड़कर ना जा

ज़िन्दगी के इस मोड़ पर यूँ छोड़कर ना जा
इस बेरहम छोर पर मुँह मोड़कर ना जा
आज दिल-ओ-जाँ में हज़ार गम हैं
ये मेरी बेरुख़ी नहीं वक़्त का सितम है
माना हमारी तासीर मुख़्तलिफ़ है
पर बिन तेरे हर दम ख़लिश है
तासीर जो मुख़्तलिफ़ है तो क्या ?
मुख़ालफत तो हर मौसम में है
पर सर्द-ओ-गर्म मौसम के दरमियाँ
ही आती है बहार
चलती हैं रहमत की हवाऐं
और खिलते हैं समन
हर रंज भुलाकर तू
फिर हाथ थाम ले, ऐ बेख़बर!
इस बेरहम छोर पर मुँह मोड़कर ना जा
ज़िन्दगी के इस मोड़ पर तू छोड़कर ना जा

My Lost Love

Hither this day as I hold thy wreck
Tears flow from mine eyes surplus
Thought of thy loss gives me an ache
As mine heart pumps life, lifeless

As I stare at thy body, isabelline
I recall when I said, "Thou can go on"
I knew that I was being mean
And in a flick of fate, thou art gone

O how I wish to touch thy strings
To hold in mine hands thy body, alluring
And fly with thy soul, if I had the wings
To listen again to thy melodies, charming

"It's just a guitar," say the angels above
Little do they know, thou art my lost love

Tanhaaiyaan

Dil ke suneypan ka ye aalam hua,

Ke har nazaare pe hai dhundhla dhuaa,

Aise kis jahaan aa gaye hum,

Ke har raah anjaani ho gayi.

Aagosh mein aaye phool bhi murjhaye,

Hawaaon ke rukh bhi hue paraaye,

Teri mehekti muskaan ki woh yaadein,

Kyu har baat ab puraani ho gayi.

Dheemi aahaton ko sunkar aaj bhi,

Dil tujhe soch baith’ta hai,

Meri sisakti rooh is qadar tanhaa hui,

Ke parchaaiyaan bhi begaani ho gayi.

Broken Promises

You said you loved me. Indeed you did love but I didn’t know what love was. I was the sand in wilderness. You heated me with the warmth of your love, melted me with your hug and then cooled me with your calm breath. There I stood fashioned into glass so clear and pure. Why did you break me with your own hands?

You promised me that you’ll be here, near me, forever. Indeed you’re still near because the warmth of your hug isn’t gone and the moisture of your kiss hasn’t vaporized. But Ah! Only if I could touch you once more!

You promised me to come for me in that white gown. You promised never to leave me. Why did you break all your promises? Why did you ditch me for death? You promised me to always take me with you. Why didn’t you take me to your grave?

The Silent Night

It was the end of September and nights had started to become a bit colder. The full moon, ruler of the night showered its milky beams upon the otherwise gloomy world. The moonlight gave a bluish hue to the Eucalyptus trees and the fireflies competed with the lamps of heaven.

The sheer silence of the scene was occasionally broken by the sharp sound of  the cricket.

“Did you see the moon?” Rahul asked Anjali.

“Yes! It’s beautiful” she replied.

“Not as beautiful as you.”

She did not respond but the wind whispered that a tear or two oozed from her sparkling eyes.

“I wish we had a world where only we existed. I would have danced with you for eternity” she said excitedly.

“Close your eyes. Let me take you to such a world.”

“Closed”

“Now see I am near you to hug you and comfort you” he said.

She tightened her arms on her own chest and hugged.

“I am feeling sleepy. Please play a song so that I may sleep calmly” she requested softly.

A song was played. The softness of music amplified into her heart and took her into an ocean of dreams and serenity. 

He paused the song to hear her breathe. Her exhalations relaxed his soul.

The moon hid behind a patch of cloud. 

“Good Night Love!” he whispered softly and hung up the call.

Her Moist Eyes

After those heavy raindrops earlier that day the heaven started sending light drizzles as if t’were teasing every soul in Najibabad. Both of them came out in a mirthful mood from the school. The sprinkles moistening her face and her hair wet. The trees and flowers all smiling with a renewed energy having a glossy touch of water. The sky smeared with varying shades of gray all darkened to black in the fast east corner. All the streets leading to and from St. Mary’s School were full of mud mixed water. They started cycling to their way home with each other talking about the day’s events at school.

“It was fun at school today, no?”, she asked.

“I find all happiness and fun while looking into your eyes”, he replied.

“You should think out of romance at times, huh”, smiling she rebuked.

He increased his pace as they entered a street filled with water to a much higher level than the others and overtook her by about 5 meters. He turned to see where she was and found her cycling slow, almost stuck in water filled up to knees. His eyes met her eyes and he saw a glare in her eyes and could’nt make out if it was a tear or a droplet of water.

Her eyes were requesting him to come and support her, he thought. He stopped where he was, turned back, went to her, held her hand and bicycle. Both of them got off from their bicycles and started moving in that muddy water laughing. Their shoes, socks and pants all wet in mud and water. They cycled for the next mile almost shut, no interaction at all.

“Why did you stop and return?”, she asked.

“I turned back and looked into your eyes and found your eyes calling me near you, to hold you, to be with you. I thought it would hardly matter if I don’t go back but still I have to go, I have to hold you up in your minutest of problems, I have to be by your side whenever you need me. I just had to be with you”, he replied with teary eyes.

“You always read my eyes!”, she complimented.

“That’s because I love you.”