Temporal

Ramzaan Mubarak Dec 31, 1969

Being a good Muslim, or being a good Insaan is a 7/24/365 proposition. It is disarranged folly to think that by abstaining from food and drink for thirty days and indulging in some rituals, the rest of the year is fair game for other travesties.

Autumn Harvesting Dec 31, 1969

with ever so trembling hands
he felt for his back pocket
in a gesture reminiscent
of slow motion pictures

Katrina: An Abdication of Responsibility Dec 31, 1969

The mandatory evacuation called on August 28 made no provisions to evacuate homeless or low-income and car-less households, as well as large numbers of elderly and the infirm. In 2000, a census revealed that 27% of New Orleans households were without any

Close Encounter Dec 31, 1969

Jamil had come to the US as a teenager and had graduated in atmospheric sciences from University of Colorado at Fort Collins. A shy reclusive student, he had changed into a rambunctious young man in the intervening years: not averse to enjoying life and w

Karachi Odyssey II Dec 31, 1969

those fishermen were true
to their sea
these days it helps not
being true

Dear Allah Dec 31, 1969

could you tell mrs. schmidt to please draw the blinds?...and don’t tell me not to look...you created me, i am what i am…you should know!

London Targeted: Numbers Game Dec 31, 1969

today’s mourning
in the wake of
yesterday’s jubilation
and the futility of
fragmenting one
into us and them

Ayodhya Back On Top Dec 31, 1969

Why did it come now?
What was the aim of the attackers?
Who benefits most if the peace process is hindered or rolled back?
How soon will calm prevail?

Compounded Waste Dec 31, 1969

As a Muslim I cannot decide what is worse the US intransigence or Osama’s arrogance. Or the reverse. And what makes a person part with their life.

Charity Dec 31, 1969

He searched his pockets, a driving license, an American Express and a Habib Debit Card. “Do you have some money?” “No,” replied Nina who was wearing diamond studded set she had specially ordered for the wedding.

Unpoet Dec 31, 1969

float and fall like flakes
one after another
in a suffocating embrace
to the ground
unloved and undead

Bankruptcy Dec 31, 1969

'Despite incantations we display utter contempt for the poor, for the downtrodden. We are good for empty rhetorics. We are morally bankrupt,' he thundered.

Half a Confession IV (final) Dec 31, 1969

I have never known religion to be twisted so blatantly -- so much for the inherent flexibility of Islam -- oddly my respect for Islam survives -- despite all the cuckoos in my life -- I have retained a healthy skeptical respect

Half a Confession III Dec 31, 1969

Strangely, yaara, I am happy even now -- except for this incessant pain that is eating me up -- even though it is taking me eternally longer to key in these words -- but this is still lightning speed compared with Stephen Hawking’s

Half a Confession II Dec 31, 1969

Body sponges, change of sheets, the general bull shit and I cannot help but smile -- what everyone prays for and dreams about -- I had taken for granted -- the leisurely life style where people around me would do my bidding without me having to lift a fin

Half a Confession-I Dec 31, 1969

My impulsive ride on the motorbike bare back to topless, daring the gods of winds and tarmac, shattered that idyll. I insisted on going to the graveyard, open the shroud to look at his face and despite protestation I kissed him on the lips one last time.

Arey Larkay! Dec 31, 1969

“Arey Larkay, go to the fourth room, third shelf from the right and fourth from the top, bring me the seventh book from the right.”

flying kites, playing flutes Dec 31, 1969

wine and tharra flowing unabashed
right beneath the minaret’s shadow
who deludes whom is for whom to wonder

In Defense of H Dec 31, 1969

There are rumours circulating that after we rid of the waning moon on our flag ... a slight design flaw...the new emblem in the middle of the corrected rising moon would be...yes!...a shalwar...

Thanksgiving III Dec 31, 1969

too many queries
orphaned by thoughts
too many thoughts
not in word prison

Yasser Arafat Dec 31, 1969

His resolute inflexibility led to the current despair and plight of Palestinians: from a charismatic lovable pariah to a hated pariah to an insignificant pariah he became a symbol of Palestinian impotency.

john over george: george over john Dec 31, 1969

ram das and allah ditta go about their chores
as if there was no tuesday in their lives
sweating, scheming, squandering through their day
dreaming of daal-roti sustenance

One Day At a Time Dec 31, 1969

For As’r prayers they do not thrust their staff in the ground like they used to in the days of Muhammed (saw). Today they look at the calculated chart and then look at their wrist watches. This is a simple but effective use of reasoning that

Ironies Dec 31, 1969

being one means
the glass is half full
even when empty

Nomad Dec 31, 1969

cascading life’s love and tears
mended and broken relationships
waves upon waves of sunrises
urge him to newer frontiers

Karachi Odyssey Dec 31, 1969

we know so little
we know so much

Karachi a Pawn Dec 31, 1969

Today’s attack on the Corp Commander’s motorcade was the boldest attack to defy and challenge the powers. How bold was the attempt can be gauged from the fact that MQM which literally owns the city stays out of direct confrontation with the kh

Mother Dec 31, 1969

Soul of man developed gradually
Exemplary man rose from this soul
and put to rest death once again
nobody eulogises Death anymore

Shehnai Wails Dec 31, 1969

like in-laws they fight
over the usual suspects
how the times have changed
wails the shehnai

Chiragh e Sehri Dec 31, 1969

What is written on paper can be altered. What is written in fate only gods can change.

Fishing Dec 31, 1969

Thoughts strike alike the living and the frozen. Innocent or enigmatic: they provide the wind in sails, passion in emotions. The magic potion between irresistible dreams and impossible logic: thought. And thinking? One a wind and the other cloud?

Another Attempt on Musharraf Dec 31, 1969

From international pariah to being accepted as a frontline state leader in the US led war against terrorism his hold on power has been firm and tenuous at the same time.

One Down Two to Go Dec 31, 1969

the fun has just begun... or the nightmare! …watch bush mangle this re: the trial …if it is in-camera he will be criticized …if it is in public the wily saddam will massacre US administrations …watch for a despicable despot turn in

Miss Hoor-e-Pakistan Dec 31, 1969

Seriously, you know, cheeks are one part of the anatomy, lips being the other, that we Pakistanis do not kiss in public! Take it from someone who tried it once. And survived. We kiss hands, usually the back of the hands of senile elders and pirs a

Prisoner of Landi Kotal* Dec 31, 1969

The living are doomed to be incarcerated in prisons of their own making. Only the fool or the foolhardy break out of it.

Diya JalaiN: Light the Lamp Dec 31, 1969

Who’s afraid of (a) little more happiness, little less hatred?
In diversity is hope: in hope, light. let’s light that lamp and nurse its flickers ..

To Love or to Like? Dec 31, 1969

Cross gender and cross generation friendship is an under explored subject in literature and in movies. Yes, we have Sugar Daddies and Mammas and Trophy Wives and Girl Friends. But that is exploitative and not the norm.