Untitled

well,,, zehra, i know fo sure u r lookin` fo the replies,being myself a poet i know how much one wanna know bout the reaction of people bout his/her creation ....but i wont comment much on yr poem. i only wanna know, did ya intentionally combined those words 2gether or it was done jus by mistake???

C`mon, Libra...what kind of stupid question is that? Duh...what do you think?

What I found noteworthy is that from all the lines availabe to use as the teaser on the front page, they picked the one where she stands ``alone and naked``. So typical.

Put some clothes on Zehra...I don`t about you but its cold here. Brrr.

Zehra O Zehra:

Your powers of persuasion must be weakening a tad. You posted this: Aug-8-99 16:52:3 PST Reply #: 4 ---re: chowk staff...
once again, the rest of my chowk work doesnt show up under other work by f. zehra rizvi..``

And as the world can see here, Growing Up and The Tempestress are still not referenced.

......okay to more relevancy.....


After all the effort, why Untitled? Just one of over ten thousand p(o)et peeves I have.

Viscious, ambulatory circles we walk life in?

seeya,perhaps

love

t

Please explain the meaning of this. Us men are sometimes a bit challenged when trying to understand feelings, as my wife will no doubt attest. And ``disjointed thoughts and incoherent feelings`` raise the bar way to high for the poor right sides of our brains (the ``feelings`` side). Seriously, though, the poem does sound nice and I would appreciate understanding a bit more what you had in mind when you wrote it.

`I stand alone and naked`

hmm, wish i was there! Its just an irresistible picture. It seems you have finally taken my advice to pose nude after all (g), now all we need is a pastel, a paint brush (for body painting), the right kind of photographic lens, the right lighting, a bar of soap, some suds, a towel wrapped around your head ... and the picture is complete. :)

Love from New York Zehra darlin`

Omar

You know where `n how to look me up anytime ...:)

Ay baysharam larki ! Do u not be knowing you have no human right to be standing alone naked, `feeling vulnerable`; these `incoherent feelings` are all haram larki!

Next you be telling us you need LOVE, CAMPANIAN-SHIP, SOULMATE, PARTNER IN SHOWER & all other HARAM Western Concepts !!! You Eastern Larki or WHAT ??? Don`t you be knowing penalties for crazy East Larkis in Good Muslim families ???

They are all eventually married off !!! Bear children and forget such silly nan-sanse !!! Larki !!! your amma needs a talking tooo !!! We get you good rishta, before this poem spreads ... hai!!! prospects for acha larka with 6figure salary are evaporating by the minute !!!!

Baysharm from N.Y,

Auntie OMAR

Nighat how many layers of chador/ veils are you wearing?

Naked chics rule :)

p.s. unfortunately pakistani females are neither chics nor ever naked: ``mian ji, sharam karo! astaghfirallah kya main nangi ho jaoon?`` Nighat you love looking down on other women who are open. Like the main female character in Absolute Citrus (or some other article like that). Your comment veiled in humor reminds me of the following kind of comedy : ``hey man, who wants to love? when it love making involves all that sweat! and that sticky fluid ewwww! yuck!- so do us a favor stop loving each other - instead spend some time establishing TRUE Islam in Pakistan ... ``

The most vicious supporters of oppression of women - the most fanatical supporters of Islam are women. Stockholm syndrome? I have a wonderful example but I doubt chowk will ever publish it. Why are women like you so cruel towards and so disapproving of your fellow sisters (who express themselves openly)? Perhaps women hear the word ``slut`` more often from other women than from men. Because real men love sluts (I am ofcourse talking about men who are NOT threatened by women, who do NOT think that women will lead them astray from the Sirat Al Mustaqeem, men who LOVE women openly, without shame or guilt). Muslim women and their puritan criticisms perhaps arise from a sense of insecurity about their ``banaspati ghee``-laden bodies. All I can say is that I hope such puritan women stay in the land of the pure- to pleasure the klashinkov carrying animals with pubic hair on their face. Is it the Pakistani woman`s fault that she has so many fears and hangups? Thank the Mullah recruiting the next Taliban for everything.

Lastly men do not like ``teasers`` Nighat - as you are probably going around thinking: ``I have to tease and play hard to get and show a little and then run back into my tent``- we dont like women because they have big breasts or tight asses or are thin - we like women who give their love easily ( they just happen to be thin, fat, big/ small breasted at different times throughout history) that is why we liked fat women during the renaissance and today we like the sexually insatiable thin waif or the ambitious blonde who will love easily. We don`t like white/ gori women because they are gori - we drool over them because they will give their love more easily. Ask any white man and he will tell you that he prefers American born hispanics, black, ethnic women because they are untarnished by Christian(/ Islamic / Religious) Puritanism and are more ``easy``ier than the protestant/catholic white woman (who probably goes in bed ``oh Lord forgive me for what I am about to receive``) where as the Hispanic/ black/latin women (untainted by religion) go ``come on papi! come on! yeah!`` Men like women want loving Nighat, not your mind games, not Mullahs reciting approval, not parents drooling and reveling over their match making skills (the dowry that comes with it and the submissive ``gharayloo`` nature of the ``farmanbardar`` Bahoo).

Perhaps you are afraid of titles like ``easy`` and ``slut`` and ``whore`` but those are the titles used by conservative, traditional, religious, insecure taliban type men who want their conservative, traditional, religious, insecure taliban type women to STAY within their conservative, traditional, religious, insecure and taliban type environment. Let love be light and easy.

t:

titles are so important and i just could not find one to fit the way i wanted it to..i dont like to have to think about what i write and let it just flow from me and there just was no title that came to me.

i want to change around that first line too..idea is there but im not getting it..

nighat..i thought the same thing..i was like, well, theyve managed to accuentuate a part that i may not have wanted to..but i like it.

libra..yes, it was a mistake..i forget to press the space bar..infact, the whole thing was an accident..my fingers were listenining to some random voices in my head and as if by magic the whole poem appeared under my pencil on the paper. so technically, i didnt write it and some unknown force did.

rizvi.

umm..ok. i guess i have the chowk staff to thank for the naked bit. to clarify...i meant more in terms of vulnerability and feelings rather than standing around nakid on some rooftop bathing in some moonlight. (yes, i know it sounds sublime).

soldatna..can it,(like tin can). hijabi woman wrote this. moot point for you.

omar..im trying to forget that i know you :)

for the person asking for an explanation (tahmed?)...poetry is what it means to you..it (the imagery) may or may not work for you. a definte purpose in my mind when i was writing this..no there wasnt. there never is when i start to randomly scribble on bits of paper. im still trying to decipher the layers of my own work..happens to be my fave part of writing. to see what all i hide in my subconscious.

rizvi.

meant solitude not soldatna..

Zehra:


Know the feeling. These mini `wahis` ---- perhaps not the right word---if it offends any sensibilities would substitute for -`inspiration from yonder`. Yeah, know the feeling when the whole poem `descends`. But rarely if ever the title comes with the package. That is the only area needing some original thinking!

(i want to change around that first line too..idea is there but im not getting it..)

----If i use my eyes, what will i see?

If you change `use` to `close` and then read the poem it all falls into place for me.

If I CLOSE my eyes, what will I see? immediately forces the reader to open up the mental eyes, and start seeing not the peripheral but the beyond. Loaded vision plus the baggage we carry from over all those centuries. Makes for far more interesting read.

love

t


P.S. Couldn`t help chuckle. Those sartorial hints you drop(re: the interacts not the poem) are akin to deliberately stirring the hornet`s nest. Very sadistic!

It`s an expression of yearning. A beautiful expression. Shows that the poet is rooted in the tradition of tragedy which she feels is a must to be creative. Why a person can`t be creative without that? I don`t know whetehr there is an answer to this question. But on the other hand creativity seems to have become an exclusive domain of artists working in places such as San Francisco. But is that creativity? I expect other critics to write on the concepts of creativity and enlighten me, please.

To appreciate this poem one must be familiar with mysticism. Preferbaly Islamic Mysticism known as Soofism. Mullahs/sex-maniacs are forbidden by the Holy Quran to read poetry!

The problem with the people who made unaesthetic comments on this beautiful poem do not understand what is love and what is love making. They may be good at doing sex but are incapable of making love. They may not be able to distinguish love making from doing sex.

Love is a wonderful experience which not only entwins two human beings, it also enables human to have union with God(Fana Filllah). Most of the poets have used the love and love making as metaphors to express their love or yearning for Allah.

Please read Iqbal`s following couplets:

Kabhi Ai Haqeeqat-e-Muntazir Nazar Aa Libas-e-Majaz Mein

Kah Hazaron Sajday Tarap Rahay Hein Teri Ek Jabeen-e-Niaz Mein.

My friend, Iqbal, and I believe that the poem is very subtle in expression and rich in content. Zehra`s poetry is a challenge to the decaying Muslim culture not only in America but also in conservative countries like Pakistan and India.

Perhaps, she will learn to survive in the next millennium as a proud and progressive Muslim, not divided between identity haters and Orthodox sections visible specially among the first immigrant generation in the USA.

Allah Karay Zor-e-Bayan Aur Ziada!

``hijabi woman wrote this``- Zehra Rizvi

Oh how could I forget? (one word: Shahbaz) At first I thought this was an attempt to say : ``guys even though I am a stuck up nun I`m trying to change and liberate myself by atleast standing by myself naked!``

I was wrong! you are trying to say: ``I am a hijabi woman, i love my chastity belt (mental) and I love the arabs who invaded and colonised our land and taught us to not give love until approved by the local Imam, the walis (parents) [and everyone else who has nothing to do with the lovers but would still like to know they are copulating]But so what if I really (subconsciously) want a taliban who takes showers on fridays? I am standing here alone and naked! aint I? That should be enough for you horny - deprived, frustrated, desperate and mentally confliceted (``should I f_ck this girl or not? every atom in my body wants me to but I know Allah would skin me for this?``) to come raving to my doorstep : oh hijabi one! save us from all those clothed women! save us with your lonely nakedness! ``

Am I pissing off enough women to guarentee the permanence of my virginity ?

`Save WAH-TER, ShAwar with a Friend,` bayti! `When in doubt, don`t rule it out!`

Enlightened-mAdern Auntie Omar

t..i like it..(close instead of use)..i`ll think about it some more..

im glad you`re chuckling..i chuckle too at myself.

solitude..the poem isnt about..forget it. you`re right. whatever it is you are ranting about, you`re right. im a stuck up hijabi nun who will never love or have sex unless its family, community, government and god approved. you got me pegged now...infact you read me better than i read myself. thank you. its because you are a man and im a woman ofcourse.

f..that was the hardest part of the poem for me.. :)

saqlain imam..your reading of the poem is interesting...made go back and re read it to see what it was that you were seeing.

z. `the crazies always come out of the woodwork for me` rizvi.