Talking to thin air time ticked by,
Waiting on despair, time ticked by.
Suffering the grief as my share---
A fate never rare, time ticked by.
She came or not, it matters little,
Be it fair, unfair, time ticked by.
I’d have spent time on the divine,
But musing on her, time ticked by.
Same ardour could have got me God,
In doubt if she care, time ticked by.
It might have looked like a prayer,
Staring blank in air, time ticked by.
Past teaches too little in love,
In mirage-like snare, time ticked by.
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Ghazal | 09.08.2026 | frustration, love, romance, time, waiting
Note: A bit melancholic, this ghazal captures the agony of waiting. It also touches on the conflict between divine and earthly love (known in Urdu as Ishq-e-Haqeeqi vs Ishq-e-Majazi. The refrain (Radif) used is: ‘time ticked by’, and the rhyming words (Qafia) are: (air, despair, share, rare, unfair, her, care, snare). The introductory first couplet (sher) is called matlaa. A ghazal often ends with a maktaa that includes the poet’s pen name (takhallus), but not my ghazals.
Should eyes suffice, what use more words?
They tell no lies, what use more words?
She was my youth’s brave adventure,
A golden prize, what use more words?
For using a world of vague words
Paid have I price, what us more words?
It’s too late now to realize,
Be with words wise, what use more words?
Time comes in life, you close the eyes
And when heart tries, what use more words?
Fewer words do make good ghazals
And short’s good size, what use more words?
When silence be the best of tongue,
Words fail to rise, what use more words?
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Ghazal | 10.02.2026 | adventure, eyes, silence, words, youth
In seventies, bare seventeen you look,
To me, forever in your teen you look.
Just one more year and all ready to wed,
One, ever playing youthful bin, you look.
Wallowing in youthful wealth, scarce without,
Of happiness and content, queen you look.
Secret? Fate nor fortune comes in your way,
Work as worship can be seen in your look.
Sweet touch of breeze, and wetness mischievous,
Life’s golden touchstone, yen and yin you look.
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Ghazal | 07.02.2026 | humour, life, wife
Note: Humorous ghazals are often known as Hazal.
To keep one’s better half in good humour is half the battle won, they say. Now at this late age if the rest of it is lost it matters little, I hope.
Some wishes must wait all the time,
Life’s still such a bait all the time.
Grapes never go sour all the time,
Not tongues’, it’s mind’s trait all the time.
Strange, two souls under the same roof
Live a life of hate all the time.
Trust between two suffers some times,
Endurance abates all the time.
Ghazals would do well often times
If newness create all the time.
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Ghazal |01.03.2025| wish, hate, faith, fortitude
When your eyes get wet from within,
Ghazals mellow get from within.
The why for this one just is that
Tears well in eyes, set from within.
Clothes on washing thinner may get,
Scarce muslin fine get from within.
Doubt, mere wordsmiths make good pen,
Comes that innate skill from within.
Let smoke, like hate, smoulder for long,
It can’t emit light from within.
Each, every kind of carbon soot
Can’t like a kohl bat from within.
Sky deludes as Nature’s false roof,
Get on floor, create from within.
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Ghazal |16.11.2024| poem, poet
If sick of self your own, whom to complain,
In crowd if feel alone, whom to complain.
The world has too far gone, whom to complain,
If all have-- yon of yon, whom to complain.
If we’ve evil seeds sown, whom to complain,
Stripped all Earth bare to bone, whom to complain.
As witness our walls moan, whom to complain,
The why if we’ve not known, whom to complain.
Not much can now be done, none to complain,
Save, in despair to drown, not a complain.
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Ghazal |26.09.2024|complain
Poet’s note: A typical Ghazal’s first sher or couplet is known as matlaa. Both the lines share a rhyme (kaafia) and refrain (radeef). In this Ghazal all the ten lines (called misraa) of five couplets repeat the refrain, ‘whom to complain’ as radeef. None of my Ghazals have a maktaa or pen name in the last couplet or sher.
He thinks post nor prior, poor man’s married,
He looks but sees no more, poor man’s married.
Late from office and empty-handed still,
Now catches up with chore, poor man’s married.
Get up when told gets up, sits when so told,
If he’s voice he’s not sure, poor man’s married.
A curse can be no worse, she sure can be,
Lifelong stuck to her shore, poor man’s married.
E’er since he put salt in tea, not sugar,
No tea could he savour, poor man’s married.
Heavens, whose hair have ye brought here on shirt?
Thank god that it was her, poor man’s married.
For long tied to tether, ever unsure,
Ensnared inside his door, poor man’s married.
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Ghazal |13.04.2024| husband, humour
Poet’s note: Based on a Gujarati Piece by Raksha Shukla (no translation). Such tongue-in-cheek light versions of humorous ghazals are known as Hazals in Gujarati.
Some write ghazals on love, some shed tears on love.
But I laugh at love
Some meet for love, Some part for love,
But I am not meant for love
Someone shows honesty,
someone would cheat
But I show love a distance of hand
In unlettered eyes too language there is,
World would read, hope-mixed mirage too there is.
In breath of death breathlessness too there is,
Wish to live by paying wage too there is.
There’s peace when you proceed to read poem,
The buzz and bustle of stage too there is.
True, every age has churned out a villain,
Carriage if, man’s old baggage too there is.
Benign blessings in two eyes, not in third,
In Shiva’s sage, fiery rage too there is.
Welcome O friends and foes at my deathbed,
No more rage at this age in me there is.
If Ghazals enjoy a-not-before edge,
Old styles of pens, their marriage too there is.
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Ghazal |04.09.2023|
Poet’s note: Based on a Gujarati ghazal by Raish Maneear:
I may try not to fret for him,
How can I ever forget him?
Pretending to sing a ghazal,
But hum him in mind, only him,
I may try and not recall him….
He hurts all over like rose spikes,
But can’t if ever upset him,
The sores sting all over my flesh,
I still hug, heavens, can’t hate him,
I may try and not recall him….
People recall their lost dear ones,
My lifetime’s mate, I muse for him,
Left all alone, whom I talk to?
Where I go, whence do I get him?
I may try and not recall him….
He, once my choicest of date,
On verge of goal’s gate I lost him,
Dismayed, nor would it amaze me,
If I’m now an old date to him,
I may try and not recall him….
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Ghazals |02.08.2023| remember, love
Poet’s note: Free translation of an Urdu Ghazal by Ahmed Faraz
Be it kings, commoners no less,
Know, humanness is not in dress.
In rage nor yet is it in love,
A raging sage has it no less.
Words nor manners make any case,
In kindness, not in mere embrace.
Not oft traced in a holy place,
In act, not just in kindly face.
Faced on Judgment Day upon death,
It’s not in lifetime’s tall address.
It is in lifelong commitment,
Not when life breaks for short recess.
It's not something in an oath to confess,
Humane to be, not else is humanness.
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Ghazals |06.01.2023| humanity
In tranquil eyes if rage there is,
A peace befilled page too there is.
In every breath if there lurks death,
What sustains long age too there is.
If Ghazal gives free expression,
A binding down cage too there is.
Maybe, today’s time is evil,
With foul, fair image too there is.
Every coin has its other side,
As in each sage rage too there is.
If peace has to pay a stiff price,
In wars a matching wage there is.
If life’s path oft gets slippery,
In good to engage, right gauge there’s.
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Ghazals |17.01.2023| life
Poet’s note: Life has two sides just as every coin has, and one has to hedge his bet to balance it, this Ghazal says.
If printers in heart posted be,
Sweet memoirs printed can be.
Many a new taste tasted be,
Relations if tested can be.
An empty pan of poverty
Mused: if these stones roasted can be.
Fair postmortem probed can it be
If tears shed, lab-tested can be.
This breath that burns consistently,
As a reserve fuel kept can be!
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Ghazals |02.07.2022|
Poet’s Note: Not translation, I call it trans-creation (of a poem in Gujarati by poet Jugal Darjee (Master)).
Pain and anguish all want to shed,
Joy and pleasure who wants to shed?
Come O mind, give me helping hand,
The past that haunts I want to shed.
The venom lying in my eyes,
Ere it spreads on I want to shed.
Welcome O Truth you are welcome,
I just want you that mask to shed.
It is that poison in your pen,
Not fair feedback I wish you shed.
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Ghazals |01.07.2022|
Come if you can one monsoon eve,
All wet in rain one monsoon eve.
Make boats— letters we failed to write,
Let them float, feign this monsoon eve.
Borrow fragrance from monsoon clay,
Why waste in vain this monsoon eve.
And if you sight a rainbow there,
Bring too if can one monsoon eve.
Rain that rains renders background score,
You come, sing your sweet strains one eve.
Fine if peacocks play the fifth note,
Sans Megh’s domain what’s monsoon eve?
Let monsoon rains drench all others,
You come, drench me one monsoon eve.
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Ghazal |02.06.2022|
Poet’s Note: Monsoon is the time two lovers miss each other if separated. Peacocks call each other using the Fifth Note called Pancham. Monsoon melodies like Megh and Malhar sound more melodious and appealing in rainy season (ref, sixth couplet). This Ghazal was inspired by one in Gujarati by Bhagavatikumar Sharma. As we know, Ghazals cannot be translated. They have to be trans-created. This one keeps the central theme, but the lines have to be thought of anew.
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