Monday, October 06, 2008

What color will you wear?

[Words and rhythm are the only tools we have of expressing to the world, and sometimes they are not enough. My agitation at reading this piece of news was moist enough that I can't hold it in a poem. But it is all I have. I know that Gods of saffron making will pay for their disciples' actions. And I hope the souls of these women find peace.]

I think I'll wait here
On the gates of heaven and hell

I forgive you, though you never asked
I don't judge you
But I think I'll wait here
I'll wait for you

I am curious, about you and your God
I am curious, about how He is
And most of all, I am curious
About the color you'll wear

What color will you wear, when you arrive
Will you wear saffron, or green
Or will you come naked like everyone does
I am curious if you'll come naked like I did

Will your God be pleased that
You took away my precious
And left this battered soul, oh
Will your God reward you

I don't judge your God, He must be a God
I am simply curious, of the color
Are His eyes colored saffron, or green,
And does He give you peace

And will He come running to the gates
To claim you His own
Will He love you, and forgive you
And will He see me

Yes, I think I'll wait here
On the gates of heaven and hell
I'll wait for you

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Kal maine dukh dekha - कल मैने दुख देखा

कल मैने दुख देखा

दो पैरों पे चलता था
थोड़ा बाहर, बड़ा अन्दर था
एक औरत था
गोरा चिट्टा सुन्दर सा

एक छोटा सा बच्चा ले कर
वो बाज़ार करता था
और बच्चे को चपत लगाकर
ना रोने को कहता था

बच्चे की चीखों से कुछ
कुछ बाज़ार बिगड़ता था
कैसी माँ है, कैसी माँ है
कुछ कुछ ऐसा कहता था

पर बच्चा तो छोटा था
उसका दुख भी छोटा था
उसके पीछे एक दुख था
बड़ा सम्भला - सम्भला सा

जो शायद कभी रोता था
और जिसके आसूँ सूख गये
बच्चे सा बिलखता था
और जिसके सपने गुम गये

अश्वत्थामा सा शापित जो
अपना शव खुद ढोता है
और मौका बस पाता नहीं
सो धीरे धीरे मरता है

मन तो बड़ा किया मेरा
उससे बातें करने का
हाथ पे उसके हाथ रख कर
कुछ मीठा कहने का

मन तो बड़ा किया मेरा
सूखे गाल छूने का
गले उसे लगा कर के
"होता है" ये कहने का

पर मैनें सोचा
घाव खुले हैं अच्छे हैं
मलहम से बढ़ने वाले
ये घाव हमेशा रिसते है

क्या कहेगा वो अपनी?
एक पल में जन्मा हूँ
दो बातों से पनपा हूँ
और अब सदीयाँ जीता हूँ?

क्या कहेगा दुख अपनी?
सपने टूटे मुझे दिला दो
और जो सपने न ढ़ूँढ़ सको तो
फिर से मुझे रोना सिखला दो?

सो उसकी अपनी किस्मत पर
मैनें दुख को छोड़ दिया
मन तो नहीं था मेरा पर
कुछ छूट गया, कुछ छोड़ दिया

कल, मैने दुख देखा

Thursday, August 07, 2008

ऐ खुदा

फ़ुर्सत मिले, तो तू भी कभी सुन तेरे ठुकराए हुए बच्चों का कहा

फ़ुर्सत मिले, तो लम्हे थोड़े से मेरे नाम कभी करना ऐ खुदा


खाली आँखों को मेरी, देने को तेरे पास टूटे ख्वाब भी नहीं

मेरी झोली तो चलो ठीक मगर, खाली खाली तेरा दामन है खुदा


तेरी दुनिया से, तेरे लोगों से, तुझे इतनी मोहब्बत क्यों है

बड़े सालों से ये सोचता हूँ, कैसे बन जाऊँ तेरी दुनिया मैं खुदा


Monday, July 07, 2008

In Time

One could, you know, stand still
in time; one could know all
there is to know; If you will
just believe - in time and
space, and motion and all,
you know, one could stand
still in time.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

The Barter

I counted them in the thunderous sea
Oh the infinite greens and blues
I saw them in the picturesque sea
The countless boundless span of hues
I swam around submerged fully
Counting the number of new grays
I looked above and the sun was setting
The sea made orange in a thousand ways

The sea doesn't know why it creates
A new color with its every song
The waves don't know why they sing
Do they laugh or do they long
But the countless boundless span of hues
And the sky and the sea doing their barter
Know how to a human comes a thought
Its beautiful .. the way waves play with color

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Normality

I hitched a hike
In Adam's ride
And it took me
Improbable places

I am back now
A lesson in Tao
There are some
Impossible places

Normality is restored.

Monday, March 10, 2008

So Much Love Unveiled

Yet another day in the heat of a Sun's world
So much love unveiled
Of Humans and Peoples

With teary-eyes I wonder
How would the world be
Without love unveiled
Oh, not as despicable!
Nor, as indispensable!

So I sing, and dance, and wonder,
As smiling as Pippa
"... God's in His heaven—
All 's right with the world!"

Saturday, January 26, 2008

To know

To know with all the knowledge there is
That breath is all there is
And a beating heart
And a warm body

To know with all the knowledge that could be
Of a life that could be
And a yellow dream
And a painted story

Saturday, January 12, 2008

OSX look and feel on Linux

On one of Joel Spolsky's Blog posts, he had said that to build the configurability one needs, one has to build much more configurability than one needs. Being a software developer, I know how true this is. Building configurability needs calendar time and a lot of commitment. Building stable configurability - even more so. And that's why the configurability built in GNOME amazes me.



My desktop running Ubuntu (Gutsy) configured to look like Mac. A Windows installation is running on the open-source edition of VirtualBox. It takes effort and some narrow escapes from shark attacks, but at least it can be done.

Finally, here is a desktop equivalent of mera wala pink.

To be fair to VirtualBox, here's a screenshot of how seemlessly it runs (read "can run") Windows over Ubuntu. No pointer absences, no Ctrl+Alts, well blended Alt+Tab, Super+Tab - It works (can work) as if IE/Editplus/Other Windows apps were launched directly from Ubuntu's Applications menu.