loving the process
you'll no longer be waiting
for your happiness
?I stopped looking for You in distant skies.
You were waiting in the quiet all along.
In a hand that reached for mine without a word,
In the quiet grit to just begin again.
?You spoke through ordinary mornings,
And stayed through nights that had no answers.
I found You in shared bread, held tears, and easy laughter.
Not a blinding light—just a steady presence.
?The closer I came to love, the closer You seemed.
The less I demanded, the more I finally noticed.
Perhaps finding You was never the journey at all.
Perhaps it was just learning how to truly see.
Minnie’s resolve was dauntless
courageously persistent
wild audacity
fearless fortitude
zero chickenheartedness
this woman had grit
Bewilderment and toxicity,
Is all I could see.
Living for so long,
In this world, trying to be strong.
I tried with all my might,
To win such a long drawn-out fight.
Until one day the darkness nearly won,
Darkness and I nearly became one.
Then one small light shown in the distance,
My soul was finally taking a stance.
I am worth more than this mere ending,
I am worth love and befriending.
I walked away from all which held me down,
You won't believe what I found.
Joy, peace and people who cared.
It was there for me, if only I dared.
I picked up my pain and sadness; I put it away,
I'll deal with that yet another day.
Now I know who I am, and what I will do,
I will seek the help I need and always praise you.
Soak in the sunny streams and brooks and see,
Feel what life’s like yon tomes of books and see.
Grit nowhere in the heart where’s love any?
In begging much money nor love any.
________________________________
Ghazal quatrain | 04.11.2025 | books, nature, love, money, sun
Note: This quatrain looks like a set of two opening couplets called matlaa. The transliteration of the Urdu is as under:
Dhoopmeiñ neekalo, ghataaoñmeiñ nahaakar dekho,
Zindagi kyaa hai kitaaboñ ko hataakar dekho.
Dill meiñ na ho zoorrat to muhabbat nahiñ meelati,
Khairaat meiñ itani badi daulat nahiñ meelati. - Nidaa fazlee
Monday morning sneaks through shack and grime,
Bullets whirr where drug barons plot their trade,
Gatas tread gingerly.wasting hours and time.
The spaza hums,mugs chime,Rooibos Tea in the lane,
Bambinos sidestep shadows,mae geri into dustty tins,
Old timers murmur incantations under the day's first pain.
Smog sprinkles from braai stands where mamtanies fry,
Pirated Kalashnikovs twinkle in the sun's first glare,
Yet souls beat steady,declining lies.
Klevahs shuffle,wallets empty,agrrements whispered fast,
Tiny tots peep through windows,hearts throbbing loud,
Even in agony,a tenacious hope holds steady steadfast.
Through shacks,mirth trembles,sharp but bright,
The day starts with grit,with pain,with dreams,
In this dream struggle, the spirit fights for light.
Hold thy hope, happy scene shall come,
To parched and keen, ocean shall come.
Rest nor relax O wayfarer,
Thy dream with joy within shall come.
________________________
Epigram | 09.08.2025 | dream, hope, patience, traveler
Note: Inspired from the original Urdu:
Rakh hauñslaa, voh mañzar bhi ayegaa,
Pyaase ke paas chalkar samañdar bhi ayegaa,
Thak kar na baith O mañzil ke musaaphir,
Mañzil bhi ayegi aur milne kaa mazaa bhi ayegaa.
Here we go again
Back to chaos’ den
Emotions stretched abound
Spirits are being drowned
Yet another test
Stressed no rest
Pressing my vest
Nest of pests
Nowhere to hide
Noone to bride
Embrace the tide
Time to ride
Living is ripping
Praying for blessing
Singing while stinging
Bathing in beating
We’ve been here before
Scars from past gore
Roaring while being sore
Crying for no more
Get used to the downpour
We must make it to shore
Grit my teeth I must
The process I trust
Bike to ramp and from ramp to tree
In just a second you can feel the hit
Hanging midair is a time of glee
Adrenaline rush with teeth a’grit
Grasping his precious jewels
The tens unit clung
Crank that cruel switch to eleven so
His unborn kids will know he was stung
A blindfolded face, cigarette tastes,
Tighty-whities, and a Big Mac burger,
A boxing glove hits a fragile place
So he screamed that his meat was murdered
Hot sauce dares with a barren gut
The bottle beckons, its all for good fun
Capsaicin will rain hell upon his you know what
Chug the demon’s drizzle and the damage is done
Office chair races down a favorite hill
Speeding down through memory lane
On my way towards a hefty dentist bill but
Jackassery is always worth the pain
Rock fights in mud is a childish leisure
With a soundtrack of chuckles and thuds
Growing up simple and hollow is a pleasure
When your friends are a bundle of duds
Wandering, ever wandering
straddling cultural divides
Never homing, ever-roaming
o’er fretful borders or oceans’ high tides
The hands of a tailor, a mender, a fixer-upper
conning the vernacular just enough for supper
Wandering, ever-wandering through darkest woods
a sharp eye for the worth of second-hand goods …
Known to one and all, the disheveled figure
makes his way with aught but moxie and grit
The wandering Jew, scraggly beard, ear-locks and spit
pride in his bearing ~ scraping by on faith and wit
marathon runner
all the way with a sprained knee ~
a sheer force of will
Date written: 05/13/2023
Behind the most dazzling eyes you ever did see
Lives a tiger who will not be tamed
With great zeal she is willing to take on any task
Once she does so her focus is aimed
She's got strength that's internal, she's beautiful too
But don't let that your guard be offset
I'd be honored if maybe one day I could be with
The most incredible woman I've ever met
My mama said “never give up, whatever you do!”
You can be anything you want to be in America
I’m not entirely sure that’s altogether true
In any case, it holds more promise than Africa.
You can be anything you want to be in America
When you’re down, someone will help you get up
In any case, it holds more promise than Africa,
Where so much more is required than a chin-up.
When you’re down, someone will help you get up
With determination, ambition, and grit you’ll succeed
Where so much more is required than a chin-up
Persistence pays, as Mama said, never concede!
Written November 27, 2022
I hit the canvas one more time,
a young man’s pride demeaned by doubt,
your hand of friendship helped me climb,
disturbed and nearly beaten out.
But once again the mouthguard spills,
life overflows with ruthless pain,
caught ‘tween this warring clash of wills,
of failure or success again.
The goals I had where only dreams,
until you taught me how to plan,
the bell has rung once more it seems,
this time I know I’ll win, I can.
So be admired for your true grit,
embrace daydreams and never quit.
(iambic tetrameter)
11.27.22
Take heart amid violent storms
Triggered by others' ignorance;
For elephants ignore all worms
Who coil under its titanic might.
Swim on to that higher clime
Where giants dine and wine;
For all closer shores promise
No treat above common line.
Strive for the luminous sun
Or hurtle down into oblivion;
Forfeit sure ground's safety
On which no medals shone.
And pine not over stale waters
That neither luck nor tiptop wit
May recoup despite their clout;
Chase fresh prize with iron grit.
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