An Ode to Chowk

Although i haven`t contributed much to chowk but really it is a blessing to have a pakistani site where one can easily pour out anything and everything, thanks chowk and thanks umair for reminding us of this wonderful site:)

joke - Chowk:

Reminds me of assonance and Educating Rita.

vote for givin bina a featired writer state at chowk ,,

come on count 2 .. both of my hands are up in air ,,

:o)

bina ,, me think exacly the same ,,

just that i have never been able to contribute somthing to chowk ..

but yeah this is the probably only paki site i could really be proud of ,,

thanks chowk ..

and thank umair ,,

p.s umair hows urz clickmarks.com going,, ;o)

Before making any unkind references towards the `average` uninspired and insipid poem that all-too-often appears on these pages, I salute Bina`s ``An Ode to Chowk``. It is remarkable in content and style, which makes it one the exceptions rather than the `average` Chowk poem. (I agree with Ras` selection also, that too was really good.)

And now an appeal to the mysterious `Chowk Staff`:

[``...A grand finale to poetry week....`] Amen!!

Do I understand correctly (or is it a futile hope)that after this `grand finale` we shall be spared the agony of what usually passes for poetry?

Pray, let us have a grand finale for `Crook-it` articles also. Let there be a torrent of bats, balls, bouncers, spins, leg slips, googlies, LBWs and sixers, and be done with it once and for all. Let there be so much crook-it that we can all vomit and cleanse ourselves of it for good.

...SR

a grand finale to poetry week? oops. think i`m a little late. oh well, what is new... late entrances (in every sense): the bane of my existence. or more correctly, the bane of the existence of the others in my life. only time i can remember making it on the dot was at the time of my birth. hmmm... upon reflection, think i got that wrong as well. khair... meri zindagi... ``snafu: how i muddled along in life`` (or ``how i muddled thru life``?) -- the title of my book -- if i ever become famous and write one (or get someone to write it... and then the movie, then the serial, then the... you know how it goes...) but if i`m not wrong - better late than never? oh heck, does it even matter?

aaaaanyway..... to matters at hand..... great one bina! would have enjoyed it even more had you mentioned, along with the other names, the love of my life - the haunt of chowk - the one and only.... JAY! :) (or.. wait... was that urstruly?)

and to the powers that be.....

yes! agree completely with tempu and the others - bina should be given a slot of her own in that eclectic box down there - she deserves it - she`d fit in more than comfortably with those already there.

and bina, hope you accept the offer if you`re made one.

I agree with Temporal and all others that Bina deserves to be given a `featured writer` status.

This is hoping that she will continue to enrich our thoughts by her creative writings!!

While we are at it..I would also like to praise

Farzana #3 for her excellent contribution!!

and also Sheyla #1 for a good effort(you sound sad and lonely..don`t be..you are at a crowded place..its a chowk!!)

Very nice Bina and I would like to add my Aye to a featured writer slot for Ms. Shah.:-) If she wants it, that is. Nice ending to the poetry week.

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Bina ,

That was very witty , and well written.

Enjoyed it a lot,esp. the part of throwing in ``kashmir ``!! ha ha ...works wonders , doesn`t it !!

You deserve a good round of applause on this one for sure ! you have my vote on it .

Take care , and once again , very impressive observations made !!

love,

shirin

nice one Bina... I sure am glad this painful poetry week is over...

Lets focus on prose for a while !!!

temporal (#14):

Is there something special about being a `Featured Writer`?

I thought it is good enough that we can read her

Although I am new here to say my bit

But if it matters a whit

Then I am with you...

Yes, Bina must get her due.

Farzana

Hustled thru my chores

In time for the flight

Reaching Deutschland today;

Asked for a connect

To the internet

Before I hit the hay;

Of the millions of sites

I could see,

The very first one

Has gotta be,

Chowk babe!

And Bina`s piece sublime

Makes it worth the time.

re saira riaz #13

Now, Mrs Firoz, could you not induce your hubby to become a more solid of a Republican and stop making fun of my boy W? :) I promise I`ll buy him a couple of beers of his choice!

Re : AAmir and hyperbole....

``Money can buy you a position but not

RESPECT``

Obviously, You have not been to Pakistan recently!

Money can currently get you 16 yr old beautiful virgin girls, as their depserate parents try to find a match for these poor souls, to the extent, that 52 yr old suitors are welcome to some of them. Why? Because the parents of these girls, are looking for ``financial`` stability for their daughters, by turning a blind eye to the obvious wrongs of such an ``arrnaged marriage``.

The moazziz and the surafaa of Pakistan have Money as their binding common theme. Stop living in Utopia. The Utopia deserted Pakistan ages ago.

Asim

Saima/Safwan/Umair/Wasiq...anyone that matters:

....after all these perhaps you/we have not realised the full potential of bina...she prays at the altar of Word...has been varied yet consistent...creative and loyal...she is one helluva gal...and a creative soul to boot...what more can I say?...

...about time she gets her own slot as a Featured Writer...

(...personally feel this would be three years too late...but then is it ever too late?...)

...those in favour don`t simply say ayyyye!...write here!

love,

temporal


PS:...bina yara...love you kiddo...really...hope...you get this slot...you`ve shown you deserve it...and I hope...you`ll accept it if given...despite all constraints...and mean `all`...later...

PS:...to the gods!...after this I will recommend another fine eclectic writer...but let us say one battle at a time? :)

I must say that it is a beautiful poem, specially the words rhyme very well & the metaphors are well placed as well.

Bina I am Feroz`s wife & I think that you have captured his personality really well.

As a grand finale:

CHOWK, if there was an award that was to be given
for the best writing during this time of poetic
expression my vote would go to


``The Nature of Time and Snarling Dogs`` By
Saeed Urrehman (CHOWK 3-25-01).


We had some good and bad poetry this whole
week, but ``Snarling Dogs`` is certainly a
candidate for some poetic competition and could
win for sheer content.
Waiting to hear from temporal on this one ...


Ras

well done Bina...but Im glad this poetry (read painful)mania on Chowk is finally going away...=o)

Re: Bina

Bina that was great! I think that you have captured Chowk`s spirit really well!

Ciao!

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Re : self #5

Note to self:

I should heed my freeely disbursed advice too. :)

nice one Bina, as usual, write something bad for a change :) ...

now may we PLEASEEEEEEEEEE have the old chowk back.

too much of anything can be harmful. i`m sure i don`t speak for myself only when i say that i`ve had it with this poetry week.

Re : URstruly

``Grand finale? Why?``

This was done in the interests of human empathy and for restricting the pain inflicted on humanity, so unabashedly by these so called Pakistani Byrons. Chowk did not want to be associated with other Sadist organisations, specialising in leather and chains. :)

Folks, (except Bina and that binifer lass), please stick to prose. And if you cant do that, its better to not say too much less you are taken for a complete nincompoop. Methinks, enough said!

Sincerely,

Asim

Very nice and very true.

Grand finale? Why?

If this is a zoo indeed

I think the beasts need

To be fettered even within a cage

Never mind what they do on the page.

Some work their ass off, I am told,

Only to sound like good gentlemen of old.

Then there are the critters

Who get the jitters

They work up their hormones

And talk about pogroms.

Tell a Paki a Hindu name

And he will go pulling dhotis without any shame

The Indians, mind you, are no less

They still think the Partition was for their best!

Yet both sides want a piece of the fun

Alas, it comes in the shape of a gun.

Yeah, baby, you are right

Kashmir is what gets us going alright

If you think I am only judging the rest

Okay, okay, I know I too am part of the junglee

fest.

I often get hot under the collar, but what to do?

Jism do hain, aur ek hi rooh…

I wish at times I had been more restrained

But, what the hell, I wasn’t trained.

Besides, no one has spared me, you will agree

How I wish they would love me and say helloji!

Anyway, thank you Chowk for showing me the way

Now I know I will find Satan here – and that will be the day!

``And let`s not forget our friends from across the border

Who so quickly remember to put us in order

When we become a little too big for our britches

We can always enjoy calling each other sons of bitches``

Bina,

It has been so far the most interesting peom this week. The baive was priceless!

You are alright! :)

Asim

blue white

flashes of light

break the visual silence

of a december dawn

a knock on the door

`he is no more`

...tears turn inward

silent screams echo inside

a facade of calmness

hides an internal storm

...coroner`s office

warm kiss on a cold cheek

mouth slightly open

in eternal sleep

...please wake up and smile

your mischievous smile

...please come home and tell us

it was all just a joke

...it`s not too late

the door`s open

your bed is made

come in and sleep

and wake up again

like you were never dead