Ghazal

Main bahut der bhatakta raha ruswayii mein
Maine pehchana hai khud ko teri sannayi mein

Ye ujale mere khwabo.n ki taqdeer nahi.n
Khwab palte hain mere raat ki tanhai mein

Koi mujhe dhoondhna chahey bhi to kaise dhoondhe
Main chhipa rehta hoon khud apni hi parchhayi mein

Mainne har lamha ek ajab dard hai mahsoos kiya
Teri masoom nigaho.n mein, tere husn ki raanayii mein

Rait se maujo.n ne mitaye hain jo qadmo.n ke nisha.n
Main unhein dhoondhta hoon ab bahr ki gahrayii mein

Manzil-e-shauq-junoo.n inke siwa aur nahi.n
Takhta-e-dar mein, zandan mein, sahrayii mein

Zindagi

Wasl ke auqat bhi, hijr ke haalat bhi
Fikr ke lamhat bhi, shorish-e-jazbaat bhi
Teergi bhi noor bhi, chandni bhi raat bhi
Khwab bhi aur khauf bhi, jeet bhi aur maat bhi
Khezaa.n ki sab saoobatei.n, fasl-e-gul ki baat bhi
Zikr-e-maut bhi yehaa.n, fasana-e-hayaat bhi
Guman bhi, yaqeen bhi, haq bhi aur shubahat bhai
Gunah bhi, sawaab bhi, sazaa bhi aur nijaat bhi
Qaum bhi, fard bhi, hujoom bhia aur zaat bhi
Zindagi ek shor bhi, ek samaa-e-raast bhi

Intezaar

Raat ka jaane kaun pehar hai, subh mein kitni der abhi hai
Ek kali chadar mein lipti, suraj ki tasweer abhi hai

Haath ke bandhan khol diye hain, shayad ab ke chhoot hi jaoo.n
Qaid mein barso.n beet gaye hain, pairo.n mein zanjeer abhi hai

Door kahi.n koyal hai kooki, aur chali hai purwaiyya bhi
Lekin khet keha.n se seechoo.n, dehqa.n ki tadbeer abhi hai

Kitne mausam guzar gaye hain, kitni sadiyaa.n beet gayi.n hain
Ashab-e-kehef bhi soye huye hain, baitha wahee.n qitmeer abhi hai

Amn ki khabrei.n garm hain yaroo.n, sachchayi ki bhi baatei.n hain
Masoomo.n ka khoon zamee.n par, haatho.n mein shamsheer abhi hai

Ishq ki aag ho phir se raushan, dil ho.n munawwar noor-e-khuda se
Maslak ke jhagro.n mein uljhi waaiz ki taqreer abhi hai

Door ufaq ke paar kahei.n ummido.n ke raushan lashkar hain

Par azmi dhundhli dhundhli tere khawabo.n ki taabeer abhi hai

Ghazal

Har ek lamha dil-e-pareshaa.n ko hai just-o-ju teri
Bahut hi jaan-kuna.n hai talaash-e-rang-o-bu teri

Na jaane phir hai kyoo.n weeraa.n dilo.n ka mai-khana
Zer-e-ghalba-e-taigh-e-jafaa hai aatish-e-jam-o-subu teri

Nafs-e-siyah ru hai pashemaa.n guzashta jurmo.n par
Tafseel-e-gunah-e-nau mudda-a hai ru-ba-ru teri

Naya hai daur , nai hai zubaan, naya hai mezaaj
Qadeem tarz-e-bayaa.n se hai labrez guft-o-gu teri

Ghubar-e-dil hai Azmi muntazir baaran-e-rahmat ka
Zah-e-qismat shikasta-e-daure-e-khezaa.n hai aarzoo teri

Media Circus

24X7 they serve it sassy and sensational
With mind numbing details on air forever
Packaging is slick, yet quiet superficial
Bespectacled presenters talking in high-pitched tenor

They talk of corrupt and colorful political theatre
They talk of rising crime and deteriorating weather
They talk of popular entertainment and haute couture
They talk of market mayhem and dismal dollar

While they talk, they never talk alone
There are all sorts of jugglers and the clowns
So called experts-on-everything opining in cutting edge tone
Discussing passionately with enlightened arrogance and fake frowns

They discuss country and its shining future
They discuss the emerging new world order
They discuss the global war on terror
They discuss widening gap between rich and poor

An awful lot to talk and awful lot to discuss
But you never get bored because they never really focus
They strictly follow eyeballs and its ever-changing locus
Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the great Indian media circus

On the last trot

Last evening had a showdown with customer, tooth and nail
Over a piece of code and some functional detail
Really got rattled by his incessant rail
But stood my ground as an alpha male

He thought what he wanted he never got
We thought what he got he knew not
He thought we were nothing but a scheming lot
We thought that it is his game to blow cold and blow hot

Nobody sure of what would work and what would fail
Felt like on board a massive ship with the broken sail
Morale sagging like tall trees under a heavy hail
Unsure of fighting new fire and blazing new trail

Went home restless and had a late night thought
What is this for that we actually fought?
A flash of inflated ego or fear of being caught
For what we remembered and what we forgot

The cause of conflict is an age-old tale
Of heads you lose and I win on the tail
Of normal self interest and standard betrayal
And treating trust as a deep discount sale

A final try and we are out of this loony slot
Align and match what they seek and what we brought
For the greater common good on this very last trot
And the battle my friends, so hard we fought