1 AM Friend

a woman sitting alone in the night and smoking

It’s 1 AM and my eyes are on the mobile screen,
have already read everyone’s posts, comments, and whining,
All cigarettes in the carton have perished,
and the sad playlist is almost finished,
But for me, there is still no sleep,
I wish to go out this time of the night,
lie on the road and watch the stars in the entire Galaxy,

I am in love,
but she is asleep,
the confusion, the restlessness engulfs my soul,
I wish she could see this,
With no expectations or any hope,
without any lie or pretend,
I need someone to talk,
I just need a 1 am friend,

Would talk food, would talk politics,
hours on movies, would talk anything about electronics,
Would listen to my favorite songs,
would discuss the rights and wrongs,
Then there would be stories,
ranging from horrors to comedies,



Mumbai streets would be our beds,
and the savory vada pav would fill us,
We would know there is no future for us;
We would be two lonely creatures of the night as such,
Smoke with me,
Share sleepless moments with me,
Fall on me,
and say whatever hurting,
Without any promises of togetherness,
Give my loneliness some meaning,

Like everything, these nights will also end,
But for now, my loneliness really needs a 1 am friend…
-N2S
13092015

There Is A Place

a man looking at the evening sky
“There is a place in my heart,
where love is sleeping in peace…”

There is a place on the internet,
where beautiful music plays and incorrupt souls sing,
far from the glitz, glamour, noise and fancy things,
Artful creations ripped from the heart, drenched in nostalgic emotions,
Paintings with colors of life and brushes of reflections,
It doesn’t matter if every ear gets them,
Perhaps their beauty lies in whispering the silent rhythms,



There is a place in my city,
where only wanderers and dreamers dwell,
Looking up to the sunset, every day becomes farewell,
There is no haste, there is no chase,
Nobody owns it, and it’s everybody’s place,
Beauty doesn’t have to be praised always,
Sometimes it is just about a moment of cathartic taste,

There is a place in my heart,
where love is sleeping in peace,
Far from disguises, lies, and make-believe,
It is where nobody comes, nobody interferes,
Somewhere I am true, holding something I care,
Life is not about breathing, growing and dying,
Perhaps it is just about feeling…

-N2S

मेरी आवारगी (My Vagrancy)

lonely man looking at the dark sky
“सब होंगे अपने चाहने वालों की बाहों में, और एक मैं लाखों तारों के नीचे, अकेली रात से बातें करता हूँ…”

रात के दूसरे पहर, मैं दबे पैर घर से निकलता हूँ,
दुनिया नींद की आगोश में लिपटी है,
मैं अपने आवारगी से मजबूर, रात की राजकुमारी से मिलने चल पड़ता हूँ,
मोटर साइकल को आहिस्ते से निकालता हूँ,
के कहीं शोर से किसी की नींद ना टूटे,
मेरी आवारा फ़ितरत से किसे के सपनो का सिनेमा ना टूटे,

सुनसान सड़कों पर जब मैं हवा से बातें करता हूँ,
जहन में सुलगते सारे सवालों से परे होता जाता हूँ,
बस एक अजीब सा एहसास बाहें फलाए सीने को जकड़ लेता है,
और जब ठंडी हवा के झोंके मुझे हवा में उड़ाने लगते हैं,
बस मन करता हैं आँखें बंद करके बस उड़ता रहूं,



काजल से काली रात में सड़कों पर पीले रोशनी बिखरी पड़ी है,
पर कहीं-कहीं सिहाय काली झाड़ियों में कोई आकृति हिलने लगती है,
काले जॅकेट की गर्मी मेरे शरीर को ठंड से दूर रखती है,
पर चेहरे पर ओस हल्के-हल्के जमने लगी है,

सड़क पर ऑटो रिक्शा मुसाफिरों को ले जा रही है,
कुछ लौट रहे हैं घर को और कुछ सफ़र तय करने को निकले हैं,
सब सलामत रहे, बस आसमान को देख यही एक दुआ माँग लेता हूँ,
कुत्ते भी अब भौंकते नही, शायद मुझे पहचानने लगे हैं,
और जो डर था मुझे काले चेहरों से,
अब वो भी उतरने लगा है,

कहीं किसी जगह रुककर तारों को देखने लगता हूँ,
सिगरेट के दो कशों की ताशीर से खुद को सेक लेता हूँ,
दोस्त, यार और वे हसीन जिनसे कभी दिल लगाया था,
सब होंगे अपने चाहने वालों की बाहों में,
और एक मैं लाखों तारों के नीचे, अकेली रात से बातें करता हूँ,



पूछता हूँ मैं रात से के मेरी आवारगी कब ख़त्म होगी,
कब मुझसे मेरी यह जंग, ये बेचैनी ख़त्म होगी,
रात कंधे पर सर रखकर बोली,
तुम हो साथी मेरे पर मैं थोड़ा सा डरती हूँ,
मैं तो हूँ हमेशा से अकेली पर तुम हमेशा साथ ना रहोगे,
आज जवान हो तुम, ताज़े फूल से खिले हो,
बेइन्तेहाँ खूबसूरत है ये बेसब्री तुम्हारी,
पर कल जब आएगा, तुम ऐसे ना रहोगे,

मैने हंसकर कहा, मेरी इस जवानी से शायद देवता भी जलते हैं,
वे नहीं जानते की हर काली रात के बाद सुबह कितनी खूबसूरत है,
मौत को टुकूर-टुकूर कर देखती ज़िंदगी कितनी हसीन है,
मेरे इस क्षण भर की ज़िंदगी में ही मेरी अमरता है,
इन चंद सासों के अंतराल में ही मेरी कहानी का सारांश है,
तुम भी हमेशा अकेला कहाँ रहती हो,
मिल ही जाते है तुमको मेरे जैसे दिल-फेंक आशिक़,
कल ना जाने किसका हाथ थामो तुम मगर,
आज मेरी इस आवारगी की हमसफ़र सिर्फ़ तुम हो…
-N2S
21072013

Revenge Of Karma

Demonstration scene
“Rules are rules…”

Standing in a queue at the railway station,
the crowd was pushing each other in frustration,
there was a policeman beating a man with a stick,
I was among the meeks, witnessing this,
the lean man was pleading and his head bleeding,
the cop was ignorant of all the begging,
“Please sir, it’s urgent, my mother is dying,
I need to see her for the last time”,
“that’s your problem, rules are rules, now go
and stand in the line”,

The man was crying, he was on his knees,
“God is watching from above, help me please”,
Everyone was watching but no one dared to speak,
nobody cares until the suffering is about his,
he wiped his tears and saw the face of the “diligent” policeman,
he left with his steps lost in the voices of the common,



Time passed as it has no other option,
my friend was having a knee operation,
sitting in a waiting room of a hospital, I saw a long queue,
after all, this is a democracy of rules made for me and you,
a man rushed through the main door with a kid,
the kid was hurt, unconscious, probably a car-hit,

“Sir please admit my son, he is badly hurt”,
“Wait in line, don’t you see, minister’s wife is having a check,
They probably didn’t remember,
they were the same policeman and the man beaten in the September,
“Sir my kid will die, I beg you”,
“It’s your problem, I am helpless like you”,
“Rules are rules…”

– N2S

Standing In A Queue

People standing in queue
“Our whole life passed standing in a queue…”

Perhaps this must have happened with everyone and you,
Our whole life passed standing in a queue,
Now, this has become a habit,
Don’t fight, we are born with it,
Standing in a line for the school assembly,
We spend our whole education to high school from nursery,
We finally come out and get lined before the college gate,
Holding the admission forms in the horde of thousands for the same,
Standing in the line of the Delhi Metro,
Buses, railway, and flights, it is the same wherever you go,

Read another poem on Sad Reality of Life: Revenge of Karma



Damn its life! we have to even fight for love,
There are dozens, standing in a line for a girl,
you are nobody where everybody is somebody,
in the populations of millions, you are no better than a doggy,
you get shot and nobody sees you again,
no one talks about you or remembers your name,
the line grows even you live or die,
there is no shortcut you can try,
so don’t fight, you are born with it,
like others soon it will become your habit,
Perhaps this must have happened with me and you,
Our whole life passed standing in a queue…

-N2S