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This is Akram Mahmood's Home Page. It is created and maintained
by his friends and colleagues. If you wish to contact him please send an e-mail
to info@akrammahmood.com.
Here are a few of his Urdu poems translated into English
Migration
| Behold
what exists in this vast universe: From the sweet smell of flowers to
the smiles of children to the chirping of the birds. Yet the ration that
belongs to us is merely of bearing a constant burden of solitude, at
times, shedding tears of sympathy and empathizing across trans-oceanic
phone calls. Your days continue to grow heavier with struggle to come
near me and my nights continue to be ruined by dreams of incomplete
rendezvous with you. If coming together is not our destiny then why the
seed of such desire was sown in our hearts? Could it be so, to collapse
us while we are trying to change our directions: Wind enshrouds us by
earth and water take us away towards ever expanding distances- to be
absorbed by those trees engraved with letters of our names; Birds which
sit on the branches of those trees keep migrating with the changing
seasons, from one locale to the other and, drowning in the water flowing
beneath.
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Don't
Thou Deceive but Thyself?
We like clouds…
They become our heart-liked face; whenever we like them to.
Wind carries our stated, unstated messages towards seen, unseen destinations.
Inner world provides us the way to go far.
In the light we seek weaknesses in others and…
The dark covers our shortcomings.
Lying is our intelligence and dishonesty our art.
Avarice is our right and envy our purification.
To insult is our pastime and to be condescending our pride.
The spirit of revenge provokes us to stay alive and…
Hatred makes us superior to others.
Anger- our bravery; Confusion- our adventure; And indifference- our mark of wisdom.
To whom do we deceive ‘till breathing our last?
No one else_____!
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No-Man's Land
If I were to
reminisce someone it would be none other than you…
For you are not only a woman – but a fragrance too!
I never reminisce anyone…
Even right now, I am reminiscing neither you nor anyone else!
Even after learning that I am in a deep sleep- don’t know since when,
maybe I had gone to sleep before awaking; you’re talking
non-stop:
To me, to yourself or to someone else!
Listen! it is not nice to disturb the sleep of the dead…
They are already the laughing stock of their ruined dreams!
This is mere illusion that I am looking…
Toward you or at someone else!
There is disbelief in my eyes instead of sight
And there is regret in my heart instead of blood!
There is disbelief and regret all around me…
My being is suspended between disbelief and regret…
Somewhere in no-man’s land!
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Allow Us to Breathe
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We were born for poetry yet
Entangled ourselves in worldly business
We were love embracing people but
Did not get the chance
We were to live in the world of dreams and thoughts
We were installed in the houses of mud and bricks
We were to walk on the waves of light and wind
We were sent on the way laden with boulders
We were inventors yet
Were used only for procreation
We wanted to do something else but
We kept making wooden tables, office memos, or a bicycle wheel
Were we allowed to do that we were meant to do…
The circumstances would have been different
It wouldn't be so stodgy here
We could breathe freely
And the world would have been more beautiful |
Winds Blow in Dreams Too!
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Winds don’t just blow in the gardens
To aground the flowers blossomed on the branches
They don’t just blow in the fields and farms
To feed the soil with ripened fruits
Not just in the forests
To knock the etched names from the trees
Not just in the deserts
To put the sand in the wandering eyes
Winds don’t just blow on the oceans
To estrange the sailboats to the waves
Not just in the mountains
To drop heavy stones on the pathways
Not just in the playgrounds
To announce the postponement of a game
Not just in the alleyways
To put out the awaiting lamps in the windowsills
Winds also blow in the arteries
To nullify the blood relations
They also blow in the hearts
To annihilate the open and secret courtships
They blow in the eyes too
To fade out the sparkling faces
Winds also blow in the minds
To rock the agreed plans
They also blow in the thoughts
To disturb the ashes of old memories
And the winds do blow in the dreams
To entice towards the unseen, beautiful scapes
…which can only be given haven by the dreams!! |
Date: page last modified: Tuesday, October 30, 2007
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