yeh dhoop kinara
shaam dhalay
miltay hain dono waqt jahan
jo raat na din
jo aaj na kal
jo aaj na kal
pal bhar ko amar
pal bhar mein dhuwan
yeh dhoop kinara
yeh dhoop kinara
shaam dhalay...

sitting alone in the apartment
i stare lost at the blank screen
i have words bouncing off the keypad
ideas float abstract in the country of my mind
some find their way through expression
some sneak back in
some achieve blessed acceptance in awareness
some drown in to the oblivion of denial

jab teri samandar ankhon mein
iss shaam ka sooraj doobay ga
sukh soyain gay ghar dhar walay
aur rahi apni rh le ga
aur rahi apni rah le ga

daal masoor cooks slow on the stove
i breathe the odour of garam masala
there is more than spice to zeera and dhaniya
i cook for myself alone
i am not hungry but i can't seem to cook enough food

the apartment reeks of stir fried potatoes
i lick the taste of anar dana of my lips
there is more to it than just sweet and sour

my knees are jelly
my feet swollen
i have walked half way across the planet
i am still not at peace

i strolled around for a couple of hours the other day
an hour walk as detour
i wish i could find the samosa place
i know it's around here somewhere
but i can't yet quite get there

pasta penne and a roasted turkey sandwich
a paper plate and a plastic fork
everything comes with a can of coke

i come from a land enriched with spice
we are ppl who indulge
we are ppl who eat unhealthy
we are ppl who eat for more than just hunger
a health label on baked soy beans cannot fulfill me

the blinds on the window rock to the breeze blowing outside
the sound of the waterfall nearby fails to appease my heart
it floats up and down
the ripples in the pool outside are not refuge from the turmoil within

it is not dusk yet
there is still light outside
i am sinking within devoid of the energy around me

faiz plays soft on the media player
the only language that can translate poetry is silence

aaj bazaar mein pa bajo na chalo
chashm-e-nam jaan-e-shoureeda kafi nahi
tuhmat-e-ishq posheeda kafi nahi
aaj bazaar mein pa bajo na chalo

i am strong within
my exterior defies the cracks on the inside

dast afshaan chalo
mast-o-raksa chalo
khaak barsar chalo
...
raah takta sab shehr-e-jaana chalo
aaj bazaar mein...

i come from a city of life
i come from a land of exuberance
exuberant time
exuberant interference

potatoes back home taste different
there is an association with land that flesh cannot escape
my association appears truncated

the water around here is treated and chlorinated
i miss the tasteless odorless tap water from my kitchen sink

i miss home in ways that escape human expression

chalo phir se muskarayain
chalo phir se dil jalayain
jo guzar gai hain raatain
unhain phir jaga ke layain
jo bisar gai hain baatain
unhain yaad mein bulayain
unhain yaad mein bulayain

pictures of family and friends
music in a language that seeps through each pore of my skin
a cellular phone and a calling card
my eyes on the watch
it ticks ever so slowly

may they sleep in peace
and awake to a fresh start every morning

my start is fresh and pristine
the world ahead of me is crystalized
it is picture perfect
if only it was human too