Imbibed with wine or filled with venom, Replete with love, or fraught with dread....
Word
By Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Today, again, the mind searches for a word:
A word
Imbibed with wine or filled with venom,
Replete with love, or fraught with dread.
A word of affection:
Like a joyful glance -
One which carries the caress of soft, warm lips.
Brilliant - like a surge of the molten gold.
The very spring of excitement in the lovers’ embrace.
A word of aversion:
Like a wrathful sword -
One which forever devastates the oppressors’ strongholds.
Dark - like the night in a haunted graveyard.
The very utterance of it should burn my lips black.
(Translated by Sain Sucha)
Happiness around me
By Afra Abro
Exasperation flows all over me
When I hear them giggling behind me
It occurs to me that
They are happier than me
I console myself by recalling
I am more mature than the ones behind me
Maturity gets confused to deal
With moments of happiness I am losing around me
Its hurts being the one criticized
But they take criticism happily unlike me
Does happiness outweigh their self-respect?
Looking for answers is a hard line to walk for me
Intrigued to know, I inquire myself abruptly
Is there anything they have that I don’t have with me?
Happiness is found within as they hopefully seek it
I wind up with ‘pen and paper’ as I don’t seek it around me
Bewilderment
Bushra Mustafa
As the sun rises every day,
A burdened soul awakens;
Fathoms itself to the mighty nature
And set ablaze the memories.
Opening another door,
To the world of bewilderment;
Chasing the sky and far,
With the hope of finding love,
For its world revolves around it.
Throned and stoned, it carries along,
Far and farther, the journey continues.
As the sun sets every day,
A broken soul sighs ashore;
Watches by the hues of bewilderment,
And drags along the darkened path.
As the burden gets heavy to bear,
It rests along with the company of stars;
Where moon silvers the sky as it lullabies.
And as the gusts of wind hush,
Amid the chaos of love and life,
It sets ablaze the passion,
Far and farther, the journey continues.
Compiled by SK
