Khurshid Alam

A dropp of dew can enliven
the thirsty buds
can cause a new life
can create a reason.
...

Tiger, tiger burning bright
He’ll leap up above the sky
When the Moon would shine
And the Sun would define
...

Many couples couple to the serene campus
But they don’t love; never marry each other
Yet they’re apace for a feeling unrealised
They often take bits of paper and make equations
...

Leaves foliage, the green turbans, on
The silky branches to clutch on unsuccessful
Efforts.
...

Psephologists competing with their opinion polls
A prophecy they draw to the final hustings
Bouleversement for one wing; anti-incumbency for the other
They profess for the polls to be polled at the booths.
...

I’m in search of a home
Where lights twinkle
And burn the house warm
People share their haves.
...

The golden birds flock
To the fields
Fluttering and dropping beads
Weaving them into garlands.
...

Stars are shining bright and the moon is up
Clouds are making homes for them
They lead to their destinations in peace.
I find no reason to write on disharmony.
...

My mother scoffed at us for ours no fault
She had put sweets from offerings in a box
To distribute the sacred eating equally among us all:
“All should have equal favour”, she taught.
...

Ajnabi is registered a Christian at school
And bargains exemption of fee by half
And all miscellanies full; and sings hymns
To Jesus and celebrates Christmas.
...

The grass is shaking
a mouse may be nibbling
at the root
The grains will soon turn
...

I’ve seen
many men of lesser quality
rise upwards
and have immense influence
...

I’m slave to myself.
I’m slave to my desire:
My desire is boundless.
I’m slave to my fantasy:
...

We sleep to dream
We sleep to dreams
We wake to act
We wake to facts.
...

Paths are obstructed at the no-man’s land
where they die gasping at the boundary
against the barbs grounded at either side.
Let me move without a stop
...

The doll imitates the forms
Of a woman
But it lacks the content—
...

We’ll meet at the crossings
Or see each other in the crowd
Or match eyes from a distance
Then we’ll realize
...

I took just a few steps
And the road ended
I took a stride
And the path finished
...

Till a few minutes past, my eyes were blank
Then you painted yourself in them beautiful
Now I plant flowers and leaves of different hues
In my garden where once stood the store room
...

I worship the prophetess of love
beauty, majesty, glory, and desire -
she is the sublime of all arts.
...