Paiband lagi ek zindagi

Khushbu ki diwaro ke piche

kuch sade ghosht ke tukre hai

murda lashe, zinda lashe

kuch khali khali dibbe hai

ik shakh hai rajnigandha to

ik dali pe chamgadar hai

ye bhi sach hai, wo bhi sach hai

jane tera ya mera hai...

Main ankho ko band kr lu kya?

Dar ke saye se darti hu

jalte taro ke pichhe chup ke

geet sajaya krti hu

par bojh meri awaz pe kuch hai...

dabi dabi reh jati hai.

un roshni wali subho me

soyi soyi reh jati hai.

Main bhi shayad rajnigandha hu

subah tak kho jati hu

Main kya taro ki chhaya hu

suraj aate chhup jati hu

Is resham se andhere me

ik band se kamre me simti

roshandan se chhalk giri

bhatki hui si ek kiran

kehne ka ujala, naam ka din

do chutki se bhi thodi dhoop

udhedti sapno ke chadar

main siti rehti hu aksar

thoda sa taant hai aaj ka

thode resham ke dhage hai

jodti hu lamhe, phir sajati hu

paiband lagi ek zindagi...  

Shahad si sardi me

gulabjal si bunde...

Badal ki rui

aur dhundh ki rajai...

odh ke aai

dabe paon...

Samndar paar se

bina passport bina kagaz

ye insano ki duniya se pare hain

azad badal

ek qaid sheher pe

sapno ka bojh dalte

tute hue panko ko

phir udne ko bolte.

Kuch is andaz se jate hain wo muh mod ke aksar,
Badi ada se puchte hai phir bura to nahi laga...

Ehsas...

Kuch naram chand ki dori si

kuch mithi si ik gud ki dali

badal si halki, ujli si

ik shakh sharad me nikhri si...

Purvai hai ye mehki si

ya os me dhuli hai raat koi

subah ke pehle ambar si

ik yaad shahad me dubi si...

Aur chand se meri khidki tak

un lamho ka tana bana

ik baat halak me atki si

ankahi kahani anjaani...

Khandhar

कुछ गड्ढे है दीवारों में 

कुछ आड़े टेढ़े दरवाज़े... 

कुछ टूटी कुर्सी-मेज़े और 

कुछ टूटी खिड़की पर जाले 

कुछ टूटे डब्बे बिन पेंदी,

बारिश में भी सूखे खाली 

कुछ सुर्ख सूराखो से आती 

धुंधलाई सूरज की लाली 

ये खंडहर हैं या यादे है 

अब कोई यहाँ आता भी नहीं

उन संकरी कल की गलियों में 

क्यों कोई आता जाता नहीं ...

इन पे दस्तक दे पूछ रहा

क्यों चला गया क्यों फिर आया?

क्या कोई यहाँ पे रहता था

मेरी झूठी याद लिए ?

क्या कोई और यहाँ पे आता है

टूटे-झूठे ख्वाब लिए ?

कुछ कमरे थे यहाँ सजे हुए

या धूमिल हैं यादें मेरी

बिछड़ी -कमज़ोर कुछ आवाजें

बिखरी मरे कानो पर...

टूटी सासों की दरख्वाजें

इन सूनी दीवारों पर..

गर कोई यहाँ से गुज़रे तो

कहना कोई नहीं आया इन टूटे खहंडहारों में

(Second half of the poem written by my uncle (Mausaji) Anand Khatri... With thanks) 

Yado ke sheher mein...

Koi sheher hai kya jaha

gujre hue pal ja k rehte hai?

aaj k pare aur aane wale kal k dar se door...

Koi gali hai kya jo meri bachpan ki gali jaisidikhti hai ab tak?

koi dehliz jaha ab bhi dhoop waise hi utarti hai...

aur maa aur dadi ki chudiyan waise hi khanakti hai.

waise hi thahake gunjte haibachpan k yaro k

waise hi kachchi nimboriyan aur hare amrud pahlte hain...

chhat pe ab tak aasman hai... Imarto ki chaon nhi

aur pairon k tale... Wahikachchi pakki zameen...

Hai koi sheher jaha mere bachpan ka sheher rehta hai?

Jo sheher mera tha, wo to ab begana lagta hai...

Khwabon k patthar

बस आँखों तक के रस्ते पे

इक उम्र बितानी होती है

बस ख्वाबो के दरवाज़े पर

हर रात जलानी होती है

उम्मीदें तारो जैसी कुछ

बिखरे पर नूर नहीं होता

कुछ बातें ऐसी होती हैं

चुप्पी की ज़ुबानी होती हैं

कुछ राही सूखे पतों से

चलते पर राह नहीं होती

इक दुआ जिसे मांगो फिर भी

पाने की चाह नहीं होती

कुछ ख्वाब भी पत्थर होते हैं

फेंको तो हलचल होती है

पर पानी के हलकारो में

खोना ही किस्मत होती है

और पानी की गहराई में

बहते बहते घिस जाते है

कुछ लोग भी पत्थर होते हैं

चुपचाप ही चलते जाते हैं।..

Sometimes...

Sometimes I wonder who cares...

if it is morning dew on my cheeks

or droplet of joy or a bit of gloom...

Sometimes I hide my tears.

Because I know no one cares.

and sometimes I laugh

'cause I don’t want others to laugh at me...

Sometimes I’m quite...

Because I feel my words don’t matter

and that you don’t care if I speak at all...

Sometimes, silence is my shield...

Because I know my words can give away

what has been a secret for ages...

It may embarrass you... sometime

Sometimes... I ache to shout

and I want you to acknowledge my frustration

but I rather break my favorite vase

'cause breaking my shell can make a lot whither...

Sometimes I have to tell you... I'm a woman

but mostly you know 

and know how to use it against me...

I want to remind you sometimes

some kind of pain persists in my heart

but you know that I can bear it

and so you add on your share...

Sometimes I want to tell you

that I have more shades than your eyes can see

that the complex folds of my heart

come with an even more complex mind

That I’m not afraid of the dark or the lightening...

That I can do things better than you...

That I would love to swap place with you

just to know for a day to live without concerns...

Sometimes... I want to tell you i can make a better world...

But then I realise... You’re too fragile

your ego... your existence

cant bear a rendezvous with my true self...

It hurts to know i have to keep in my shell

so that you can be safe in the world outside...

For the day it breaks

it will break your fragile ego..

.

And in those moments of realisation

I cry a silent tear...

Sometimes you see them

but you mistake it for my weakness

...and as I  would lose those games...

Which i played with you as a mother...

Slowing down to let you win that race...

I let you take pride in that ignorance...

Sometimes I feel, in all my lives,

I’ve been born only as a mother...

Takiye ke niche subah ke kuch khwab hai kachche pakke se...

Subah tak halchal honi hai, krwat me neende bo lena...

Ek aur raat hai jagi si, thak k bhi jake soti nahi,

ek aur raat tum suraj ki dehlij pe ja k so lena...

The horizon...

The horizon deceives it's chasers...

It wears bright colours each morning...

And as the day grows old

The makeup fades...

And clouds that create rainbows

All become puffs of vapour

The Camouflage of colours... nothing but a mirage.

Fools... drowned in that romance

Follow the horizon to nowhere...

Never disillusioned they keep saying,

"Clouds when touched... disappear..."

Mukammal

Wo kehte the kabhi zamin kabhi aasman milega

bas jo chaoge wo yaha nahi milega...

ye kaun sa naseeb hai dono se mehrum...

do bitta zamin jeb pe bhari padti hai...

do bitta aasman dekhne ko nahi milta,

ye muqaddar is sheher ka...

ghumshuda log aur anjaan chehro ki khali si bhid me

apna kehne ko ek chehra nahi hota

do pal nahi hote khud k hatho me...

ik saans nahi hoti apne bas me rakhne ko...

unche khwab aur unchi imaratien...

khokhli haqiqat aur khokhli imaratein

imartaon si zindagi...

eit-paththaron se likhi

berukhi kismat...

na ugta suraj apna hota hai,

na doobta...

mausam k badalne se calender pe mahine badalte hai

par dil nahi badalta...

is sheher me, na mitti milti hai,

na barish

na hi dhoop...

wo kehta the yaha pe bas mukammal jahan nahi milta,

magar tukro me tuta bhi hume to asara nahi milta...

kya zid kare kya mange is bedil sheher se hum...

yaha zami bhi nahi milti, aasman bhi nahi milta...

Thehre...

do dhharein chhoti chhoti si,

do bundo ki dori si thi

thodi meri aankho se thi

thodi tere aankho se thi

do bandh banaye dono ne

kuch tum thehre kuch hum thehre...

na dekho tum to bhi aksar

ye baat sataya kart hai

chalte phirte har pal me kyo

wo yaad sataya karti hai?

Jab yun hi takrayi aankhe

aur kuch uljhi kuch pal thehri

phir ghabra ke tum bhi hum bhi

yun hawa me badal ginne lage

khwabo me bhi aana jana

ab rehne do yun takrana...

tum bhi tare ginna ab se

main bhi tare hi gin lungi

do baandh hai ab in dharo pe

tum bhi thehre hum bhi there

chala tha lapakne taro ko

berang hatheli me lekin 

parchayi thi wo pani pe,

chapaki aur bunde chitrayi...

aur un bundo ke shishe se,

hatho pe rangoli khil aayi...

berang hatheli muskayi...

Sehra...

Haal pe ab malal hai ki sukoon nahi aata,...

Jane kya lailaj marz hai nahi jata...

kabhi talasta hai jab wo nazar nahi aata,

puchta aasman se hai wo kyo nahi aata...

magar phir dekh ke usko bhi berukhi hi rahe...

haal kya roye jab dil khud se bhi khud ki na kahe...

mausam badalta nahi,

aasman meherban hona chahe bhi to kya...

kaha sehra me barisho se phul khilte hain...

sard hawa

Sari raat chhante rahe sard hawa...

Darwaze ke surakho se

dheeme se chal kar

sondhi si khushboo wali

bin bulaye mehman si...

jaise abhi abhi dhul ke aayi ho kisi barf k badal se

aur sidhe meri khidki pe utri

kuch bunde os ki saath le kar

chuchap utari meri mez par

subah tak, takiye ke saath seet ki kinari hoti hai

aur os ke moti khidki ke sheeshe ke baithe hue

bulate hai ek aur dillagi wali subah me...