You don't limit your life to social media.
In reality, social media limits you to your life.
A selfie with this and a selfie with that.
Your life is race for comments and likes.
Instead of having a personality worth praising
You are now judged based on your social media profiles.

Status update: I wish I could visit Paris some day.
In Paris you're like, "Where can I get signals for wifi?"

Your achievements are unlocking new levels of Candy Crush
Is that the legacy you'll leave behind?
As if all these achievements will benefit you  
to unlock the doors of heaven when you'll die.
Your 940 friends won't be able to help you
by sending a booster or an extra life.

Relationship Status: Happily married.
Happy and married until the moment you both go offline.

You buy everything from behind the screen
Error 404: Cannot buy love and time.
It's a complicated maze that you won't accept
Even when they themselves call it a website.
You don't limit your life to social media.
In reality, social media limits you to your life.

He asked me what bothered me at night?
I told him I was haunted by nightmares.
He held me in his arms and said "It'll be alright,
I am here to make them all disappear."



*Last night I had a nightmare again
And your face was all I saw darling.

Up in the north, away from all the filth,
there's a land of pure where angels descend.
And live between the rivers and trees.
There's a place known as Kashmir.

A place that has sacrifices it's people
just for the sake to get an identity.
A place that's been crying since ages
There's a place known as Kashmir.

A place that's been bleeding for freedom.
A place that's been a victim of tyranny.
A place that need to be heard just once.
There's a place known as Kashmir.

A place that's been divided among nation.
A place that has suffered a great deal.
Let them live, let them breathe.
Let there be a place known as Kashmir!

We stand together as a nation today
For we cannot see our heaven bleed.
Kashmir belongs to Pakistan.
And Pakistan belongs to Kashmir.

The world spun a bit too fast maybe
that the lipstick marks turned into cigarette scars.

"As the temperature drops down, the molecules get closer till they form a solid shape."

And that's how our chemistry teacher defined 'love' on a snowy day.

These people in the streets call me from names, blaming me for blasphemy.
I don't blame them for their reflection in the mirror is different from the one that I see.

Those broken bricks told a story
Of a place where dreams were made.
A place which drowned in the floods
Those broken bricks are all that remains.

They came like a nightmare and took us away.
Oh Mother! Don't spill a tear, your son's in a better place.
They were scared of our pens so they fired us off.
Oh Mother! Don't cry for their guns have lost.

They pointed us out and asked our identities.
Oh Father! Stand tall, I answered them proudly.
I took a bullet in my head for wearing green.
Oh Father! Be strong, I did not feel a thing.

So bury me in this land and bury me with smiles
Every grain of this soil is a witness of my sacrifice.
So bury me in this land and bury me with smiles
Your son embraced martyrdom and a martyr never dies.

Those monsters just killed, did not let anyone go.
Oh Father! Their hearts were stone cold.
They painted the walls of my school with our blood.
Oh Father! Don't worry, they will be the one to suffer.

I was received by the angels at the gates of heaven.
Oh Mother! That place was full of little children.
And when I met the Lord, I was dressed in green.
Oh Mother! My Mother! I was so happy.

So bury me in this land and bury me with smiles
Every grain of this soil is a witness of my sacrifice.
So bury me in this land and bury me with smiles
Your son embraced martyrdom and a martyr never dies.

She had a charm to make everyone fall in love with her.

But this charm of hers turned into a curse forever.

She asked me,
"Do you still miss me like before?"
I sighed, "No."
And with that said, I lit up another cigarette to smoke.

They tell me I waste too much time flirting with the stars
They don't know the pleasure it gives to my cold heart.

I am a drunk and you are a saint.
I find Him when I lose myself
And you find Him in your prayers.

Aur kitnay kaffan uthayein gay?
Aur kitnay bichar k jayein gay?
Aur kitnon ki qurbani dei
K ye sanehay khatam hojayein gay?

Aur kitna hum seh payein gay?
Aur kitna khoon bahayein gay?
Aur kitnon ko hum bhool jayein
Tou ye sanehay khatam hojayein gay?

Aur kitna sog manayein gay?
Aur kitnay ansoo bahaein gay?
Aur kitnon ko hum maaf karain
Tou ye sanehay khatam hojayein gay?

Kya hum bhi muskuraein gay?
Kya hum bhi zinda reh payein gay?
Ya hum bhi ab apni jaan de dein
Tou ye sanehay khatam hojayein gay?

Show me your naked self
by tearing down
every costume that
your eyes ever wore.

And I will love you
like a wolf
secretly loves the moon.

He left the girl who loved him more than her life.
On her funeral he said, "It's not my fault that she died."

Years later, he found a letter on his daughter's bed,
"Sorry daddy, I loved a guy who didn't care and left."

"What did she taste like?", they asked him after his first kiss.
"Dark like her words...."
That's all he could whisper as he drowned deep in abyss.

Rustic colors of an autumn leaf,
Makes death look so beautiful.
Lifeless it lay telling tale of those naked trees
It once used to be a part of.
A poet's inspiration, a lover's song
The sky at the time of the dawn.

Now it accompanies me
As I lay in my grave,
For the birds have flown south.

Whisper the unknown feelings into my soul
as I'll drown in
the melting glaciers
of my
heart.

On a cold night he sits at a side of the road
covering himself with torn newspaper silently praying to God.

"Dear God today I was lucky after a very long time.
I found a penny alone like me so shiny and bright.
I looked around and took it knowing it was wrong.
But I was starving for so many days that I even lost the count.
I felt proud as I entered to buy rather then searching bins.
It felt as if I own this world but please don't consider it a sin.
The happiness of holding that penny in the hand was the best ever.
I got a little selfish and didn't thought to share with others.
I thought to save it but couldn't control and bought a sweet.
Ah! It tasted much better than rotten meat.
I licked it a little and saved it in my pocket for the whole day.
It even fell in sand but I couldn't just lose it that way.
I was so lost so excited that I forgot to thank You.
But now I realize that I should share my feelings with You too.
So many things to sorry for but I'd thank You first for making me so lucky.
When I opened my eyes this morning, I never thought I'd find a penny.
Rather than asking a comfortable night I wish to be lucky again.
I wish that tomorrow at the same time I won't be hungry again (Amen)."

I visited the wonderland after ages
I was welcomed in the same old way.
The lavenders performed a splendid show
Reminding me of the last May.

The mansion was as we left it,
holding all the memories we made.
Your clothes were laying on the floor near bed.
I still remember how I allowed you to invade.

The family photo was hanging in the gallery
showing off one of my greatest achievements.
Those trips to London, Paris and New York,
a new adventure on every weekend.

The empty rooms haunt me now
but I am holding it all with a thin strand.
(If you ever want to return, darling,
Just come back to our Wonderland.)

Like a spider he crawled
and made his net
with strands as strong as steel.
Then he waited for his prey
as he disguised as a butterfly

And I was the unlucky one flying by
on that lucky day.

For all those men who think they can understand how it feels to be a girl,
You can’t.

You can’t understand how it feels to open your eyes in the world
With everyone looking down on you and your mother
Because they were expecting a boy and not a girl.
You can’t understand how it feels to be raised up differently than boys
Because boys will be boys
And girls, girls will always have to compromise and sacrifice
For every man to enter their lives.
You can’t understand how it feels to see boys running around, chasing their dreams
While girls are stuck with barbie dolls and fairness creams
And how they are trained to sit and stand and talk and eat
And oh, my God, girls keep your voices down
The society should not even hear you breathe.
You can’t understand how it feels when a girl is growing up
While she is considered as a toy by men around her
For all the ****** frustration
Did I say something wrong? I meant “for all the love and affection”
When he comes up and says
Oh, little one, don’t be scared, I am your uncle
And we are going to play a little game
It’s called you keeping your mouth shut and not calling it a ****.
You can’t understand how it feels to have a pair of eyes on you all the time
Whether you’re in your home or out in the streets.
There are men all around, staring you, tracing your body
As if it is their responsibility to check out every girl entirely
From head to toe, whether she’s in a burqa or a pair of jeans.
You can’t understand how it feels to carry the weight of all the honor
On tiny shoulders, which are supposed to be carrying school bags
Honor of your family, your community, the society
Even protecting the honor of men with fragile masculinity
Wrapping it all in duppatas longer than their *****
While hiding your own identity behind the tags that you’re given.
You don’t know how it feels to live a life designed by men
Making every single move based on someone’s decisions
Like a lion in a circus performing tricks to please an audience.
You can’t understand how it feels to listen to all the filthy jokes they crack
About girls getting better grades or washing dishes or driving in the fast lane
No matter what a girl does, no matter how much she gets successful
At the end of the day, it is all a joke on the dinner table.
“Go bring another gol roti, beghum”
You can’t understand how it feels to carry another life inside your body for nine months
Enduring all the pain and cramps and still doing all the work
While all you hear is how it is a woman’s job to give birth
And oh, to make sure that it is a baby boy
As if a woman has the choice to choose the gender.
You can’t understand how it feels when after all the struggle they tell you it’s a baby girl
Your heart fills up with joy and sinks down in your stomach
When you think about the fate that awaits her.
And you hold her close to your chest, trying your best to protect her
From all the people looking down on you and your daughter
For being a girl.


So, you can’t. You can’t understand how it feels to be a girl.
Because if you did, you would have wished
For it all to be just words.

He told me,
"I can't live without you."
He left and he forgot.

It's been years
He crossed my path again.
He is alive while I am not.

They say women are like flowers
delicate and beautiful, cheery and colorful.
Put them in a vase and care for them daily
And they will make everything look better
with their aura. You'll fall in love.
Believe me.

But
She was not a flower from the gardens
She was more like a wildflower growing between
the cracks of a rock. Almost like rebelling against
the nature's rule.
She was alluring in her own ways yet no one
would ever dare to pluck her.

No one could ever love a wildflower in front of a rose
But
No rose could ever be free like a young fiery soul.

The stars share tales with each other
as they sit around the fire
and they mention of the broken girl who
amazed the world with her smile.
Every one of them burns with envy  
for she shines the brightest in the sky.

Who are you to say that you know me better than everyone else?
Even my shadow is unaware of my doings when I enter the darkness.

Kissing you was like
getting lost in a candy store.
Too much sweetness
Yet I always wanted more.

All those colorful feelings
little moments of happiness.
I kept on kissing
But I never confessed.





I miss those sweet treats
And the magic they created.
The candy store is gone now
And I only know what I had tasted.

They said it was his last cigarette killed him.
But I believe it was the first one
that he smoked back in his youth for the girl
who broke his heart.
Whereas he smoked the last one yesterday
when he thought he could have a fresh start.

By the great river of Indus, I sit all alone
As I try to find the answers in my own reflection.
Can these waves guide me to my destination?
I can't turn back; I am far away from home.
The ripples are forming just by throwing of a stone.
Will I ever find my salvation?
I envy the birds that can fly without any hesitation.
Oh the great river of Indus! I am all alone.

The soft breeze of the water whispers a song
As if it had heard every word that I said
Or is it just an illusion in my head?
I don't know but the river understands me.
The journey of the great Indus is indeed long.
So I'll just sink down silently.

We buried them two months ago and watered the seeds with our tears.
Today, the nature witnessed a bud growing as the sky got all cleared.

How many more? I ask you, how many more?
How many more are we going to sacrifice?
How many more vigils will we light?
How many more poems will I write?
How many more of my country men will die?
How many more hash tags and black displays?
How many more have to pay?
How many more coffins will we lift?
How many more? I ask you, how many more, ******!?
When will this end? When will this stop?
How many more tears will turn into blood drops?
How many more? I ask you, how many more?
Please have some mercy, have some mercy oh God!

Oh Madam Honk,

It's autumn again
And how I desperately wait.
It's been months, please return
As you did the last autumn
The leaves are falling down
Like my hopes, with passing days.
You were the spring I cherished
Oh! It's autumn again.

(I)
In the lavender field
holding a white rose
Placid visage
I was laying all alone.

My mascara had not ruined
And bun was also perfect
Some scent of strawberry was lingering
In the air, from my lipstick.

I was wearing the velvet dress
which I had saved for that day.
When everyone would be crying
And I'd be all gay.

So darling tell me again
When you see me on this bed.
Do I still look beautiful to you
even after I am dead?

(II)
In the lavender field
Holding a white rose
Puffy eyes
I was all alone.

I had not shaved in ages
And my tie was not perfect
I could still taste her lips
That regular strawberry lipstick,

I was wearing the black dress
Which I had worn that day
When we said our vows
And became one again.

The lavenders prepared her bed
As I laid her down to sleep
I wiped my tears and whispered,
"You always looked beautiful to me."

He came back home, crashed on his bed. He then took his tie off and inhaled deeply. What a tiring day it was! He closed his eyes to drift off to a peaceful place when he was pulled back by the crying of his baby. The baby cried and cried as if he was screaming, struggling for his life. The man rushed into the next bedroom and found his wife curled up on the bed.
"What happened? Where is my child? Why was he crying so much?" The man looked around but could not find any clue of the child. He turned and ****** his wife, "Where the hell is my baby?", he screamed in her face but she did not open her eyes.
Her lifeless body slipped from his hands like sand and fell on the ground near the bottle of pills. Like the dead, he too collapsed on the floor.

The baby had stopped crying, he had finally met his parents.

He always used the pitcher of ***
To forget the sorrow and pain of this world.

Addicted he was, said he'll never stop drinking
Those were the days when he forgot everything.

With a broken heart, he uncovered his soul
And to hide his scars, he drank some more.

He drank and drank till the effect wore off
By that time all his darkness was gone.

So he threw the empty pitcher of *** away
And cursed and blamed it for making him go astray.

She was just another tragedy
that everybody stayed away from
yet everybody loved to read.

I was told to act like a lady and speak sugar coated words.
Cover my face in make up and look pretty for the world.

I was told to act like a lady and wear skirts not jeans.
Impress people around and make them all happy.

I was told to act like a lady and be polite to everyone.
Suffocate my own dreams and live like others.

I was told to act like a lady and keep my voice down.
Just pass smiles and not to laugh out loud.

I was told to act like a lady and be a lovable doll.
Let them play with me while I can't put up any walls.

I won't act like a lady and there's nothing you can do.
I'll be whoever I want to be, it's my kingdom to rule.

paint me with all those messy colors and broken brushes.
paint me with your rough hands and scrappy fingertips.
paint me with all your love and your regrets.
paint me in a dark room with uneven breath.
paint me with dried out lips and the tip of your tongue
paint me all night till you're halted by the sun.

You keep everything valuable covered with the fear
that it's beauty might be ruined with dust.
Yet you uncover yourself with the fear
that you might not be 'valuable' for this world.

Even the stars were burning with envy that night
as I tasted the heaven off your lips.
The fragments traveled down my throat
like wine; bitter yet sweet.
feeding the butterflies that were long dead.
The stars witnessed as we sealed off our bond
by stealing kisses before the sun could rise up again.

I was sitting alone in the bar watching people getting wasted when she came and sat right next to me. I didn't notice her much until she asked me, "Can I buy you a drink?"
I looked at her and smiled, "What's the occasion?"
"Nothing, just finding a perfect way to finish my celebrations ."

And that was it. A drink led to a couple of more till we were no different than the people in the bar.

Around 3 at night, I woke up from what seemed like a dream and found her sitting in front of the mirror. I watched her as she brushed her hair and colored her lips red again.
"Where are you going?", I asked her as she got up to leave. My question made her stop in the door.
She didn't turn back, just whispered,
"Where all the dead people go."

Tonight I am wandering like a drunk in the streets , honey
hoping to find that shooting start that brought you to me.

She entered her son's bedroom and found him playing hide and seek.
"Shhhh mommy. Don't make a noise, he'll figure out where I am hiding."
His mother smiled and ruffled his hair, "Okay sweetie, just come downstairs for dinner when you're done playing."

"Honey, what's our son up to?", her husband asked her while reading the newspaper.
"The same like always, playing with his imaginary friends.", she laughed.

Inside the cupboard, their hiding place, they whispered slowly.
"Don't tell mommy that we play together, she'll think you're crazy."
"But you're my brother, I am sure they'll be very happy."
"No. You don't get it, for them I'll always be the dead baby."