Coding by the sill on a lonely evening

Whose codes these are I think I know,
They have been dead for a while though;
They will certainly not mind me throwing
Their sub-routines out of the window.

My computer must think it queer,
To attempt this task without fear,
Between a rock and a hard place,
The longest evening of the year.

I give the compiler a shake,
To ask if there is some mistake.
Tired itself, it responds in a ages,
Several warnings and error messages.

The bed is lovely, warm and crêpe,
But I have deadlines to keep,
And files to code before I sleep,
And files to code before I sleep.


(with apologies to Robert Frost)

Happy Birthday.

There's no price in cash or gold,
Of all our years bought and sold,
As we celebrate the feeling,
Of staying young and growing old.

क़ाफ़िला

आज फिर चला शब्दों का एक क़ाफ़िला.
अनजानी किसी जगह से,
आया दिल की ओर.
कागज़ की तरफ किया रुख़
और बन गया स्याही की डोर.

क्या पता

यूँ दर्द की गहराईयों में उतरने से ना रोक ...
क्या पता इनमे डूब के ही अपने आप को पा लूं..

In the end.

...And at the end of it all,
When the curtains fall,
Maybe I'll have no love and no glory,
But I'll have my own story.

राज़

दोस्त, नया कोई राज़ बता.

ज़िन्दगी की अफरा-तफरी में,
खोई हुई दिल की आवाज़ बता.

इन अनकही उलझनों को,
संग पिरोने वाले अलफ़ाज़ बता.

जिस छत की देहली से,
खुले आसमाँ तले,
पर फैलाये आज़ाद परिंदे,
लेते थे परवाज़ बता.

दोस्त, नया कोई राज़ बता.

Happy Valentine's Day.

To those filled with laughter,
Living happily in the ever after,

To those hung up on each other,
Or those who never bother,

To those who have loved and lost,
Those who had it all, but almost,

To those stuck in the gridlocks,
And those not yet off the blocks,

To those who are on someone's mind,
And the someones who are left behind,

To those who crashed and burned,
To those who lived and learned,

To everyone in this strife,
I raise a toast, for love and life.