रिहाई

आज चाँद रिहा हुआ था अपनी ही कैद से
उसने खुद को ही रिहा किया था;
कुछ वक्त से छुपाए हुए थे वो दाग उसने जो मोहब्बत में मिले थे उसे।
वो भी मोहब्बत कर बैठा था एक सितारे से;
वो सितारा दूर कहीं टिमटिमाता रहता था
और चाँद उसे देख देख उसकी चाँदनी में डूबा रहता था।
एक रात वो सितारा फ़लक से टूट चाँद पर जा गिरा
आग उसकी ऐसी कि उसने चाँद के कई ज़र्रों को जला डाला।
चाँद ऐसा जला कि वक्त उसके दाग न मिटा सका
मगर आज चाँद रिहा हुआ था ख़ुद से,
आख़िर उसे समझ आ गया था कि दागों में भी मोहब्बत है
क्योंकि वो दाग गवाह हैं चाँद- सितारे की मोहब्बत का
अब हर रात वो दाग ही सुनाते हैं दुनिया को एक मोहब्बत की दास्ताँ।

Escape

I have waited very long for you to come.

There are nights when you visit me;

I see you in my dreams,

Far away from me sitting on a river bank.

I try to come closer

But you somehow manage to escape.

Sometimes with the first ray of light,

You touch me in the morning.

I have tried to hold you,

But you somehow managed to escape.

At times, you walk with me in the evenings,

Under the street lamp, I have seen your shadow in mine.

I looked up with joy

And my eyes tried to engage yours

But you somehow managed to escape.

The other day I saw your reflection

In the twinkling stars.

I was happy to see that distant reflection.

But in a fraction of second,

The dark clouds appeared over the twinkling stars.

Yet again you managed to escape.

Then one day I thought I will write a story;

A story of you and me.

I thought I can keep you with me

Written in my story.

But from those words in the pages,

You somehow managed to escape.

Picture Courtesy: Kapil Sharwa

The Ocean and the Sand

The ocean tried to tell you the stories of him and the sand.
You see, how lovely is the vast blue ocean!
It is deep, full of mysteries and is surrounded by the sparkling sand.
The sand beautifully defines the ocean.
Will you let me be that sand for your deep ocean?
I want to be that sand which will prevent your depth from the worldly evils.
Alike the sand, I will merge in you gradually at every night.
Only the stars will be there to glorify our union.
Will you let me touch your depth?

Metaphor

I have seen seasons change.

With every season I have felt heat, colours, warmth and separation.

Separation.

The cruel winds always took away my green leaves from me.

But every time it took away my leaves, 

The dark clouds appeared ferociously to rain love upon me,

To see me grow fresh leaves. 

But now that I have grown old,

I stand erect and unaffected.

Now neither the winds can take away my leaves

Nor the clouds can rejuvenate me.

I, the soul have overpowered seasons.

Picture clicked by: Kapil Sharwa

Heat

My body has harboured fire for years,

Keeping me warm in the dark chilling nights of winter.

But the other days,

This warmth burns few parts of my body.

And some other days

When this fire grows furious,

It reaches my soul.

Thus, sometimes it hurts my soul.

Oh! I wish you were like those healing rain showers.

So that every time this fire

Tries to reach my soul,

You will pour yourself onto me

Extinguishing it.

Maybe for sometime if not forever.

I wish...

Not forever because

I need this fire to keep my heart beating.

But you are not those healing rain showers,

Rather you are like a rigid rock.

I sometimes feel this rigidity

Has fortified your beautiful soul.

Maybe you forgot to build an air channel.

But it is okay. Just wait.

Wait for the day

When that fire inside me grows furious again.

That day I will pour the heat

Which will emerge from that fire,

Onto your rigid walls

To set your beautiful soul free.

Because, my dear, remember,

The heat only melts rigid rocks.

Image courtesy: Kapil Sharwa