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Archive for the ‘Poetry’ Category

MY CITY DROWNS IN BLOOD


Published in the Aye Karachi Magazine, May 2011.

Written to mourn the nameless individuals gunned down in Karachi in the name of  ‘target killings’…

When in 2010

I saw now and then
Innocent beings killed
With liters of blood spilled
As the city drowned in flood
From the target killed’s blood
As the poor and nameless
Became targets of the shameless
And as I stood childishly sobbing
With pain so agonizing, so throbbing
For it put Humanity to shame
I gave that year a name
‘The Bloody year’

And now in 2011

I look up to Heaven
I beg and pray
That killers stay away
But my prayers go unheard
As the killers stay undeterred
The leaders stay unstirred
Peace remains blurred
The killings go on unabated
Gosh, they could have waited
For some days to pass
Before corpses they amass
But no, they have no patience
In blood is drowned their conscience
As the days pass more
Who knows what’s in store
And I shiver with dread
For the months that lay ahead.
I wonder what name will I give to this year?

Ilmana Fasih

14 Jan 2011

A TRUE FRIEND


A Friend.
He loves you,
But is not your beloved.
He cares for you,
But is not your kin.
He shares your pain,
But is not your blood.
Scolds like a Pa
Cares like a Ma
Pampers like a sis
Annoys like a bro
And after all loves u,
more than you know.
A true friend is a gem.
Are hard to see,
Harder still to have them,
Even harder to be.
A true friend to be,
I wish it was me.
….and my ’girl’ friend SAMINA adds:
To all you can’t be,
To some you may be,
To one you must be.

IlmanaFasih

28 October 2010

UFF YE CRICKET


Cricket ho ya cricketers, nahin ab koi maza
Ye khelte kam hain, kaat te zyada hain sazaa
Kabhi ball tempering ka ilzaam jhelte hain
Kabhi spot fixing ke baad match khelte hain
Match jeetna to jaise bhool hi gaye
Shayad hi in mein se koi school bhi gaye
Poor ka poora 16 ka squad hai kam aqal
Afsos na koi ek bhi inmein hai khush shakl
Soorat na thee to seerat hi achee rakhtey
Fans na sahee, khuda ko to khush kartey

Din to cricket ne the dekhe 20-25 saal beete
Jab test match to kya World Cup the jeete
Woh tabahi battings Zaheer ya Majid khan ki
Ya zaalim ballings Sarfaraz Nawaz  aur Imran ki
Majid jo ball ko boundary pe karta that hit
Stadium ki saari larkiyaan jaati thi mar- mit
Zaheer bhi kya ball ka hard hooker tha
Aur uspe kya ‘be-spectacled’ looker tha.
Imran ki to khair baat hi niraali thi
Balling to thee hi, shakl bhi jamali thi
Aur woh Miandad bhi kya sheh tha
Ata that jab pitch par, jeetna to tayy tha.
Kya tha un dinon cricket dekhne ka maza
Ab to match dekhna bhi lagta hai ek saza.

Ilmana Fasih

20 October 2010

EARTH IS MY HOMELAND


Why should my free soul

Be bound by imaginary lines.

Oh why should these lines

Be fenced on the land

Be drawn on the maps

Be etched in the minds

Be engraved in the hearts

I rebel against these confines

I leap across these limits

My feet sense no lines

My eyes see no fence

My mind thinks no limits

My heart feels no bounds

It appears an awful sight

To control my free soul

To the confines of geography.

To the whole world it belongs

Compassion is its language.

Mankind its fellow compatriots.

Yes, Earth is my Homeland.

~Ilmana Fasih

12 January 2011

The love of one’s country is a splendid thing. But why should love stop at the border? ~Pablo Casals

CIGARETTE AUR MAA


Jab jab cigarette sulgate ho
To Maa ko bhi tum tarpate ho
Aur kash pe kash jo lagate ho
Maa ke armaan bhi to jalate ho
Dhuan jo moonh se urate ho
Maa ke ehsaan bhulate ho.
Moon se jab badboo aati hai
Bus maa hi paas bithati hai
Khaans khaans nidhal jo ho jaate ho
Maa ko bhi behaal banate ho
Sub dost wost kho jaate hain
Maa ki mamta hi saath nibhati hai

Ilmana Fasih

11 Jan 2011

For a mom you will always remain a smoking ‘kid’ no matter how old you get.

OH YOU SMOKERS!


Oh! You think you smoke?
That’s such a funny joke.
You actually burn
Into a chimney you turn.

You may so pretend
Cigarette is so cool.
Yeah, with fire at one end
At the other end a fool.

Hot you say is smoking
You must be joking.
When the cough gets choking
You’ll sound like croaking.

So you think they’re thrillers?
No, they’re a bunch of killers.
Who travel in a pack
And take dead bodies back.

Jokes apart:
.
It goes far beyond your throat
Into every cell, far and remote
As the after-effects unfold
It begets ailments untold.
For cigarette was designed
To destroy the mankind.

Ilmana Fasih
9 January 2011
P.S.Written after an argument with my brother Subhi on his terrible smoking habit and seeing Ali’s dp of smoking. And the poem is directed at a lot of other friends and dear ones who’s names I cannot say here.They’ll know who I’m talking about. And to all those who I dont know if they smoke.

SHAYAD KHATM YE FAASLE HO JAYENGE


Armaan Khan bhai again writes with his soul.

Let me do the explaining.This kavita (poem) is in context with the much awaited Court ruling on Ayodhya-Babri Masjid controversy.Any time this issue comes to limelight, a visible tension crops up among the two communities, who have essentially been living side by side for centuries.

I hope each word of this poem reflects the feelings of each one in India and extends to ‘us’ across the ‘border ke us paar too.’ 🙂

शायद खत्म ये फ़ासले हो जायेंगे,
जब हमारे बीच फ़ैसले हो जायेंगे !
अयोध्या भी सुकून से हो जायेगी,
हम तुम भी अच्छे भले हो जायेंगे !
अब बदगुमानियाँ भी मिट जाएँगी,
दूर, सब शिकवे गिले हो जायेंगे !
हाथों से नही, दिल से मिलेंगे तो,
दिल से दिल के मरहले हो जायेंगे !
नफ़रत ढूँढने से भी ना मिलेगी,
मोहब्बत के सिलसिले हो जायेंगे !
– अरमान

Shayad khatm ye faasle ho jaayenge,Jab hamare beech faisle ho jayenge.
Ayodhya bhi sukoon se ho jayegi, hum tum ache bhale ho jayenge.
Ab badgumaniyan bhi mit jayengi, door sab shikwe gile ho jayenge.
Haathon se nahin dil se milenge to, dil se dil marhale ho jayenge.
Nafrat dhoondne se bhi na milegi, mohabbat ke silsile ho jayenge.

—- Armaan Khan

In reply, Ibrahim Shishmahal says:

Dil mil sakein subhi kay, kuch aisaa payaam de
Nufrat na ho kahin pe, sukun subho shaam de
Pur amn ho watun, kahin dehshut na ho zara
Meri dua ye ‘Faisla’, khushiyan tamaam de!!

And Amit adds:
main na himdu na musalman mujhe jeene do..
dosti hai mera emaan mujhe jeene do…

AAM INSAAN AUR SIYASAT


Yeh daur kaam bada maheen karta hai,
Mujhko meethe se namkeen karta hai.
Tera masoom udas chehra ai dost,
Mujhko bhi bahut ghamgeen karta hai.
Main samjhata tha who sunta na tha,
Zindagi ne mara to yaqeen karta hai.
Kaali syahi mein din mere dubo kar,
Maalik apni raatein rangeen karta hai.
Gawah goonge hain insaaf bhi andha,
Sach yahan kaun tasleem karta hai.
Khudaya! Mujhe phir se faqiri de,
Paisa mujhe deen se bedeen karta hai.
Humein aapas mein larati hai siyasat,
Yahan to Pakistan, Cheen karta hai.
‘Armaan’ kisi aur qabil ho na ho,
Magar shayari to behtareen karta hai.

—Armaan.

WOH JO LARKI…..


For no rhyme nor reason I fell for this innocent Hindi poem…..

By Armaan Khan

Kuch adaen uski shehri thi
Kuch adaen uski ganwari thi,
Badi natkhat thi,chanchal thi,
Who kamsin thi,kanwari thi,
Woh jo mujh se bichar gaee
Woh alharh larki bahut pyari thi…….
Misri si mithi thi who,
Mirchi si teekhi bhi thi,
Kabhi kachi amiya si thi,
Kabhi imli si chatkhari thi,
woh jo mujh se bichar gaee,
Woh alharh larki bahut pyari thi…….
Rang sanwal,nain nakhsh teekhe the,
Thodi pe uske til bhi tha,
Chand se kuch khas doston mein,
Uska naam shamil bhi tha,
Aur meri Maa bhi us par waari thi,
woh jo mujh se bichar gaee,
Woh alharh larki bahut pyari thi…….
Aaj achanak kyon aise,
Yaad ki lakriyaan sulagne lagin,
Aur wajood mein dhuan bhara to,
Rooh bhi apni sulagne lagi,
Tum dekhte to samajhte,
Bina uske kaisi haalat hamari thi,
woh jo mujh se bichar gaee,
Woh alharh larki bahut pyari thi…….

SIYASAT


A poem in Hindi by Armaan Khan

Ye to siyasat hai, Ise kab hamara dil,
Gham se bhara dikhai deta hai.
Kisi ne sach kaha hai bhayya,

Sawan ke andhe ko sab hara dikhayee deta hai.

Ise mere maathe ki , badhti shikan nahin dikhti,
Mere dard mere aansoo, meri uljhan nahi dikhti,
Ise to ye mehngai bhi daayan nahi dikhti,
Mere ankhon ka dariya bhi ise qatra dikhai deta hai.
Kisi ne sach kaha hai bhayya,
Sawan ke andhe ko sab hara dikhayee deta hai.

Jab sham dhale, dhoop apne ghar ko bhagti hai,
Bhhok hamari angrai lete hue,neend se jaagti hai,
Aur hamari bebasi,pet pe pathar baandhti hai,
Lekin siyasat kehti hai, Tumhara pet to bhara dikhaee deta hai.
Kisi ne sach kaha hai bhayya,
Sawan ke andhe ko sab hara dikhayee deta hai.

Jo bhi qasoor hai apna hai, mazaa bhi hamein hi chakhna hai,
Kyonke har paanch baras mein, hum khud bhi andhe ho jaate hain,
Hamien jo khara hai who khota aur jo khota hai who khara dikhaee deta hai.
To ismein kya bura hai bhayya,
Sawan ke andhe ko, sab hara dikhayee deta hai.