Of beautiful ruins..

Hogi is dher imaarat ki kahani kuchh tau
Dhundh alfaaz ke malbe mein maa’ine kuchh tau

                                                         ~Shahpur Rasool

(Surely a story hides behind these ruins, somewhere

Search the debris of words, the meaning is there, somewhere)

While reading a book on Delhi recently, I came across these lines and could not help but think of some beautiful ruins in the heart of Lucknow I happened to visit last summer.Whatever be the original purpose of such buildings or the current extent of their dilapidation, the air around them teems with stories which bore witness to silent passage of time. Sometimes one feels as if one merely had to outstretch one's hands, and catch a few words which seem rather too palpable. But then, lest the superfluity of my words ruins the beauty of the the feeling such places evoke, I rest my case with a sense of awe and abandonment.

The Doors Have Been Shut

I was lonely
But did not seek anyone
Then I met you
And now I am
Lonelier than before

You took away my words
My songs, my poems, my prayers
How I wish I knew
You did not even understand
The language I spoke

There are ways to say things
Which remain unsaid
I wish you could
Hear my silence
That grows louder each day

A part of me knew all along
My anchor rests on loose soil
But heart has its reasons
That reason knows nothing of
And that is where it ends.

Do not look for me anymore
Do not even try to gather
The meaning of my words
You had it all
But now

The doors have been shut
The doors have been shut