Ants The ants on my wall Form a long procession from opposite sides, Meeting and greeting each other, Maybe a warm hug, maybe a kind word, Then cross each others’ path And are on their way. My grandmother, if
When the intrepid editor of a relatively small poetry publishing outfit called Copper Coin read a handful of poems by John Berger (1926-2017), little did he know his thirst, instead of being quenched, would increase. So much so that Berger
To July In late July, The half-sketched city Dissolves in smog In dimming shades. * Some stoppered essences Now drip on the damp Foam seat by the window. * Its cheap black leather Rich with your scent. * That
Pencil-Shaded Phirans The graphite that paints you against the dead pianist’s fingers of winter poplars Comes from the same pencil that etches the geographic boundary you stand on – When the river is swollen from the tears of the
mist and white flowers I sip from your sleep, before the moon disappears — a stoned, dead Summer. Trucks snail the road wearily cows chew a few suns — river oh river I have tried to escape, but memory
कश्मीर धरती के स्वर्ग का है कैसा ये नज़ारा ज़र्रे-जर्रे पे है दहशत ने पाँव पसारा ज़िंदगी है जैसे यहाँ शतरंज का कोई मोहरा हर चाल पे है जिसके कड़ा पहरा मौत जमाये है घर घर में डेरा आदमी
The door opens. Enter—the Hour. The Hour is my story’s main character. —Hélène Cixous, “What is it o’ Clock?” Leftover cobbled streets, and wuthering retreats Simmering in spring in a city by the sea An ageing soothsayer summarily
न्याय न्याय का क्या मज़हब है? न्याय की क्या ज़ात है? क्या सोचे कोई फिर देशभक्त, जो ये भी सोचने की बात है? क्या लाभ है न्यायालयों का जब लिखित में हमे ये ज्ञात है, के अफज़ल की फांसी
dekhna hain, dekhte hain: a ghazal the season to play with colours is always just around the corner how will our good old bharat maa be drenched this time, let us see: white is always the best background for
Roast Chicken Contemplating the afterlife of birds, I empty the carcass. My wife offers rosemary sprigs, which I stuff into the cavity with whole garlic cloves and seared lemon halves, and then I compact it by tucking the wings