Replying to a letter

I ll write till the day i see you, every cry i heard when you left.

 I ll write every line of misery with the blood you gave me. 

 You have filled my ink pot and gave me the slates as walls of my place 

and a stick you shaped as a pen.

 Everytime i dip it into the ink of your blood it buds flowers,

 but i sear I won't let them bloom but only on the slates. 

We don't want flowers without you my brothers. 

 I promise i ll write everyday and give you a book with pages equal to the deaths I witness after you.

 I hope I never get to more than a page and i pray that page is of my death. 

 As I want to write but do not fill my ink pot anymore.

 It ll flood my floor and it stares while I write with it. 

 Give me any ink but not red. 

 ~Shafaq Shahid

Depression

Mother: What! 

What is it? 

What do you see on the other side? 

Me: It is not just brighter, but it is blinding me with light. 

Mother: Is it relieving? 

Me: No but, it is not bad either. 

May be it will be better than here! 

Mother *in fading voice* : Ok listen. 

Listen to me, it is nothing there. 

All hollow! 

you ll find all hollow there. 

Come back, I am here. 

We are here. 

but there! 

There you ll find nothing. 

Me: But I see no one and nothing here either. 

I see no me, I see no us. 

*looking at her one last time*

So let me go there. 

Mother: But you have GOD here. 

Listen, beta, open your eyes. 

you have God here.

And he ll not be where you are going. 

Me: *without opening my eyes* 

HE IS EVERYWHERE. 

Ma' soud!

I write these lines on the slate of my old

house, 

that is too big for it is the door of my room. 

 I write all I felt, 

and times I wept ,

 and times I kept, 

 writing on the slate, 

 the words you said. 

As I said it too when u weren't there . 

I wrote when u weren't there. 

-Shafaq Shahid

Jhelum ka khwab

Na tere bayaa'n main nuks tha

na meri nigaah ki galti

Dhundh thi

Mujhay shikara dikha nahi

Na tune khwaab dekha 

na maine khwaab dekha

Hum soye bhi nahi

Tune suna nahi?

sab ro rahay thay

Us raat nind ayi hi nahi! 

jhelum ruka hi nahi

chala bhi nahi

bas thak gaya

~Shafaq Shahid

Khwab

Haerat to itni ki khwab main bhi 

har shaam unhein murda dekha. 

Ankh khuli, tab bhi, unhe Tanha dekha;

Aur mizghan ke piche har din banta

ek pyara sa mazaar dekha. 

~ Shafaq Shahid.

Injeer

Sham thi, hawa chal rahi thi, 

dupatta uda to laga koi sath khada hai, 

pattay hilay to laga koi qareeb agaya, 

Paas gayi to ehsas hua, 

koi akela baitha tha wahan, 

Pucha to jawab nahi dia. 

Bas royi, khoob royi

aur phir patto ki awaz suni. 

Wo mere samne thi.

~Shafaq Shahid https://t.co/e6m79fCDrv

Kashmir

Raat ek bura khaab dekha, 

khoon se dhula rabaab dekha, 

Lafzo ko jab uski dhun mai gaya, 

khudko usi khoon me laal dekha. 

Be-haal dekha, 

Be-qaraar dekha, 

Maine to Kashmir ka khaab dekha! 

~Shafaq Shahid

#Kashmir

Shopian

Rabaab thowum taakh'chas

waakh wan'ni draw'us, 

Waakh Le'khit raatas

be angnas manz aaw'us, 

waakh wanith o'ush aawum

rabaab anni wo'thus, 

Myon rabaab rav'rowukh

my'a taakh'chas ko'rukh soor

Yim waakh kas wan'ne waen, 

Myon Gar're korukh door. 

~Shafaq Shahid. 

#Shopian