सब कुछ खो गया

बहुत से दरवाज़े हैं मेरे भीतर,

कुछ लकड़ी के, कुछ धातु के,

कुछ पेड़ों की छाल जैसे खुरदुरे

और कुछ — जैसे किसी बच्चे का अधूरा सपना।

एक अलमारी है

जिसे सालों से खोला नहीं गया।

उसमें रखे हैं पुराने दिनों के काग़ज़,

कुछ चिट्ठियाँ हैं जो भेजी नहीं,

कुछ कभी पढ़ी नहीं,

और अब स्याही के धब्बों में बदल चुके हैं।

कुछ चाबियाँ भी हैं मेरे पास —

ताँबे की, पीतल की,

कुछ इतनी पुरानी कि नाम मिट चुके हैं,

बस छुअन से ही अंदाज़ा लगता है

किसने दी थी, क्यों दी थी।

मैंने खुद को कई बार ताले में बंद किया है,

कभी ज़रूरत से, कभी डर से,

और फिर उन चाबियों को छुपा दिया

किसी किताब के पन्नों में,

किसी रिश्ते की तह में।

अब कोई आएगा,

किसी और की तलाश में,

जंग लगे ताले पर चाबियाँ आज़माएगा,

सोचेगा — यह खुल जाए, तो कोई जवाब मिलेगा।

पर जब वह खुलेगा —

नरम, टूटती हुई साँसों के साथ,

उसमें मिलेगा एक मकड़ी का जाला,

कुछ अधखुली तस्वीरें,

और मिलेगी एक ख़ामोशी, जो बहुत लंबी है।

जो ढूँढ़ा जाएगा — वह कभी था ही नहीं,

और जो मिलेगा —

वह किसी काम का नहीं।

पर एक दस्तक रह जाएगी हवा में,

जैसे कोई गीत

अधूरा छूट गया हो रेडियो पर।

जैसे किसी दीवार ने सुनी हो बात

और फिर उसे खुद में चुपचाप गुम कर दिया हो।

मैं तिजोरी नहीं हूँ,

न ही कोई रहस्य।

मैं बस वह कोना हूँ

जहाँ चीज़ें रख दी जाती हैं और भुला दी जाती हैं।

मेरी सबसे कीमती चीज़

शायद वह ख़ालीपन है

जिसे भरने की कोशिश में

सब कुछ खो गया।

When Time Slips Through

All these men walking faster along the way,
To spend those few extra moments of the day.

Here I sit in solitude
Silent, unloved,  uncherished.
Counting each second that passes by
With each breath a daunting task.

Sometimes I sob
With a constant thought that bothers.
And the tears visible and invisible
Fail to express even the surfacial pain.

To shed light, this is but one of many moments that have passed.
It has been years.
Since this strange feeling
of being left out,
of being unprioritized,
of being unvalued
That has put its unmatched weight.
That makes this poor heart
A little heavier
more vulnerable
& gradually it has found-
its distractions...

These distractions- 
my fragile refuge,  
A fleeting escape from the crushing weight. 
Yet, they crumble like ashes in the wind,  
And leave me helpless
exposed to the storm.

The silence grows-
louder with every breath,
enormous with every wave,
darker with the night.
Even the ticking clock mocks my despair!

Screaming in the void with no sound in return,
I reach for meaning in the emptiness,  
How beautifully my hands
grip around this pain
& dreams dissolve into haze,
& colors fade into abyss.

To be unseen, unheard, and forgotten.  
A shadow cast by-
a fleeting moment, 
a firefly's glow,
a blush of dawn.
Destined to fade as the world moves on!

Lost

This hollow space within,  

Those words- trapped inside,

Yearning to break free,  

But Silence- it grips me,

Holding tight,  

And then fear whispers softly,

yet it's not there.  

Life stretches out,

a path unseen,  

No map, no stars to guide the way,  

I crave space- for a breath to take,  

But not the cold touch- of solitude.  

The world spins on,

and I- I stand still,  

Afraid to miss the dance of life,  

Lost in the in-between,  

Where I want to belong,

but not disappear.

The Shadows Of Silence (Trapped In Echoes)

Sufferings that lay buried in my mind,
Of experiences I wish to leave behind.
To all the men with their actions dark,
From my very tender years till the present mark.
You know not the depth of pain you've sown,
Nor the scars I had to get used to, alone.

From tender years I have the wounds of your sin,
Been a silent victim with no voice to begin.
With each passing day, the burden gets hefty,
And the heart has never felt more empty.
I find myself consumed by self-blame,
Then flashbacks every moment confine me in chains.

The memories still green, flow in my veins,
Each recollection brings tears and a flood of pains.
Chills grip me as anger expresses out as tears,
A feeling of helplessness for years.
The harassment came with unwanted touch and gaze,
The soul weeps beneath an ever-present haze.

But as I grow a ray of light emerges,
And from the depths of trauma, a voice surges.
No longer troubled in the sea of ghosts,
I find the strength and the coast.
For though the scars remain, remain deep inside,
I rise above to sail over the tide!

On Her Beauty

In a world adorned with stars aglow,
There she steps, a radiant flow.
Her hair, a cascade of silk divine,
Captivating souls with their shine.
With each step, she graces the earth's embrace,
A symphony of beauty and a vision of grace.
Her smile, a beacon, wide and bright,
Bringing warmth to even the darkest night.

But oh! Her eyes mark an endless depth, 
Where mysteries lie, and dreams are stuck.
So deep that a universe unfurled,
Alluring souls while possessing the world! 

With every emotion, they lead the way,

Guiding spirits through night and day.

And in the poetry of love, they grab the key,

Eyes that speak of eternity! 

With every glance, a story untold,
A journey of fascination, a tale to behold.
Her presence is a treasure found,
Such grace, is nowhere around. 

For she is more than just beauty rare,
Her spirit was ablaze with a flame to care.
Her profoundness,  words can not convey,
Her presence alone is a reward each day.

For she is love's essence, pure and true,
A masterpiece of grace, forever anew.