the shades of life burn bright before fading in to the dark of the night
the sun cries tears for all humanity
much that the red of suffering sublimes in to the black of silence

the colors of silence are stronger than the tones hidden in words
the hues of whispers fail to salvage the intensity of nothingness

the hollowness returns ever again to haunt being
devoid of purpose and reason life is absurd in itself

pastel sunsets and green leaves sailing with the breeze
offer aesthetic pursuits and inspirations to the wanderer
but the souls lost within the self find no peace

i feel no peace without turmoil
the oceans the calm for now
the winds have made peace with the moon

why must the sun set now
why does the morning bring me no glory

i find myself accomplished and with reasons to be joyous
why do i not feel the happiness showered upon me

i set out with company
i isolated myself in awe of solitude

loneliness drenched me bitter and cold
it loaded my thoughts with uncertainty and despair

emotions and feelings kept me warm to the point my soul could bear it
i feaigned indiffernce in the name of survival

i survived the calamities of time and association
i conquered affinities that brought me anguish often

i was sheltered and well fed in my covers
why did life reveal itself to me again

i feel alive in my breath and beat
why must my nerves be pricked by agony again

a pack of capris
a cell phone
and a bunch of keys in my hand
a black shawl that covers me in the chill of the night
am stripped of my identity beyond all possession

the keys take me through the glass door to an elevator
technology allows me convenience from a flight of stairs
a walk down an empty corridor
and the search for the right key again

i walk in to an apartment smelling of spice and curry
i inhale nostalgia
i breathe music that is poetic beyond life

emptiness within is independent of turmoil in surroundings
hollowness inside is devoid of external solace
i am without escape or excuse

tumhare shehr ka mausum bara suhana lagay
mein aik shaam chura lu agar bura na lagay

they say autumn in georgetown is beautiful
i see shades of the drowning sun fading in to green of life
the breeze blows with a freedom of its own
it whispers in my ears nostalgia of a land far away
autumn in my city has colors of its own
it is green and rust beyond the hues of this mass of trees around me

the leaves in my city flew with the winds with a limitation of their own
they sailed with the breeze yet never let go of their origins
i feel my roots buried in their limited freedom
i feel my will planted in the shoots of green that never turned gold
white that was never pure enough
a crescent that never shone bright enough
a star that never turned in to a constellatin
i miss my idealistic constellation
i miss my crescent without peace
i miss my green and white
and the void between

pastel sun sets and a river that never stops flowing
walks over the bridge every day
and a flight of stairs that leaves me breathless

familiar faces sprinkled all over campus
and friendly hellos that escape my awareness

the green of life, lush and pure
clouds soft as cotton candy and light as rainbows

i dream a new moment every time i blink my eyes
each blink brings to me a beauty anew

i am in an alien land away from home
but at last i find the aliens within my self appeased

in a foreign far away land
i feel my being at ease

arlington planet

there is freedom within
there is freedom beyond
there is no destination worth giving up the journey for

music knows no language
performers do not compose or sing for race, color or ethnicity

the drums beat alike for all bodies
some move slow
some move fast
some move quick
some move with deliberation
nonetheless breathing souls move to music all the time

an evening out with a day old acquaintance and 2 strangers
one photographer and two painters
one american, one african and one moroccon
one woman and two men
put it any way you like
i had an evening out with three artists
three interesting people

a free international music festival
nice weather and th langauge of life in the air
i could dance to it all night
i could sing along forever

i feel invigorated by myself
i feel alive from within
i feel freedom
all around
i feel freedom within

aaloo gosht & tortila bread

garam shorba aur chapati
zeera, dhaniya aur mirach
namak aur kali sfaid mirchi
bohat sa piyaz lehsun aur tamatar
dil khol ke tel
aur josh der josh bhuni hui handi

diar-e-gair mein ghar ka khana
aur bin ghar walon ko ghar ki yaad

hamesha ka bhatka hua musafir kyunkar ghar ko yaad keray
bin dastak darwazon ki raak taknay walon ko kis ka intezar

barish apne des mein bhi khub barsa kerti thi
barsaat ki bheegi hawa
aur boondon ka palat palat tapakna

magar apni barish se kabhi dharkan sard mehsoos nahi hui
apni barsaat mein khunki aur nami lakh sahi
magar sard thandak na thi

yahan ki barish sard hai
yahan ka aasman neela magar weeran hai
yahan ke baadal ujlay magar be-khawb hain

apne des ke aaloda aasman pe bhi umeed ki jhalak dikhti thi
yahan ka dhoola ujla aasman weeran-o-biyabaan hai

bichar janay walay laut aya kertay hain
tootay bandhan jur jaya kertay hain
khichay dhagay waqt ki hawahon mein lipat jaya kertay hain

magar khud se door khudi mein bhatkay musafir ki koi manzil nahi hua kerti
khud se nikal ker khud hi mein mulawis musafir ki koi umeed nahi hoti

aaj hawa bohat sard
barish bohat ajnabi
aur aasman bohat weeran hai

aaj zamanay se barh ker ajnabi
ajnabi ke andar ka jahan hai

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