एक ख्वाहिश

एक ख्वाहिश है फिर से जगी ,
एक कसक है फिर से उठी ,
एक आरज़ू है फिर से पली,
एक तमन्ना है फिर से उभरी …

ज़िन्दगी को खुल कर जीने की ,
मंज़िलों पर फतह पाकर
नयी मंज़िलों की ओर बढ़ जाने की ,
ख़ुद को ज़ाहिर कर पाने की ,
एक अलग पहचान बनाने की …

खुशियों के पैग़ाम बाँटकर
ज़िंदगियाँ सँवारने की ,
ग़मों की चादर छीनकर
हँसी की फुहार चलाने की ,
अनजानी आँखों से आँसू चुराकर
ख़ुद उस सैलाब में बह जाने की ....

दीये की जलती हुई लौ बनकर
अँधेरों को उजियारों में बदलने की ,
फूलों की तरह खिलकर
खुशबू हर तरफ महकाने की …

एक ख्वाहिश है जगी ,
एक कसक है उठी  …

Wheel of Life

It keeps moving,
Round and round;
Gathering the dust,
On the ground.

Sprinting across the milestones,
Or dawdling leisurely in the woods;
Striving to climb rocky heights,
Or sliding gently down the inclines.

Walks, runs, trots,
On surfaces rough and smooth;
Bumpy rides on patchy roads,
Takes it all and comes through.

Keeps moving inch by inch;
Until one day,
When it breaks its spine,
Wears down and
Crumbles flat on the line;
No longer able to breathe in,
The invigorating air
That keeps it going.

And thus collapses,
The once bouncy,
Wheel of life.

Imprints on Sand

She was walking,
On the beach.
Letting the soft sand,
Touch her feet.
Amused by the beauty
Of nature;
The bond shared
Between
Land and water.

Unaware of others around,
She kept walking;
Marking her own trail,
On the ground.
Leaving footprints,
On the sand;
Just
Creating memories,
Without any stamp.

Then roared the waves;
Erased
All that was engraved,
Taking the sand away.
She felt sad;
Losing the
Collection of memories,
As that was all
That she had.

Sat brooding
For a while;
Just when a thought struck,
And she stood upright.
Only to start walking again,
Let the wave play its game;
She was getting ready,
To create another memory lane.

Yearning for a Lighthouse

Rowing across the rough sea;
Wandering are ships,
Up and down the stream.
Not knowing where,
The current is leading;
Towards the destination,
Or away from it.

Engulfed in the blue,
With no other
Color to be seen;
Longing they are,
To see the land
And the green.

Yearning for a lighthouse,
That shows direction
To the navigating ships.
Hankering for a calm,
That softens the rough waves,
And smoothens the rocky trips.

Moving on,
In the pursuit
Of embracing the shore,
Even with
The darkness galore.

With a strong belief,
That You are there,
To rescue them
From what's not fair.

Gift of Grief

Freezing the blood gushing through veins;
Pausing the thoughts running in the brain.

Rendering all colors, as colorless;
Making dark, even the brightest.

Robbing you of all the valuables;
Making poor, even the richest.

Clouding all the joy and happiness,
In the mist of gloom and sadness.

It does it all,
Corrodes even a rock.
Comes like a visitor,
With a gift of grief,
Its - Loneliness on a spree.