होठ तो कुछ नहीं कहते, पर आँखों में बंद एक सैलाब है, रोकने को हाथ नहीं उठते, पर उंगलियां मुट्ठियों में कैद करने को बेताब हैं, लौट आने का झूठा वादा भी साथ है, जाने क्यों फिर दिल ये घबरा रहा है, शायद आज कोई दूर जा रहा है… कुछ बातें जो अनकही सी रह गयीं, कुछ यादें जो जल्दी में खो गयीं, कुछ लम्हे जो अधूरे से रह गए, कुछ वादे जो पूरे न कर सके, मुसाफिर, उन्हें एक बार मुड़कर तो देख ले, खामोश सीने में दिल ये कराह रहा है, शायद आज कोई दूर जा रहा है… ...

हमारे कूचे को मुड़कर न देखना, ये उनकी रज़ा थी, उनकी गली में पाँव न रख सकें, ये हमारी सजा थी, ता-उम्र तन्हाई में काट देना किसे मंजूर था मगर, कुछ उनकी, कुछ हमारी वजह थी। ~रबी [ They won’t come to my area, it was their wish, I can’t set foot in their area, it was my punishment, Who wanted to live a life of this kind of loneliness, But they had some reasons, and I had some reasons. ] ...

Throw off the dinner, Pull off the blinders, Close the doors and turn off the lights, ‘Cause no one is coming tonight. Lie down and hug yourself, Pull out a pillow and scream for help, Lick your own wounds and put off the fight, ‘Cause no one is coming tonight. Stop praying, No one will hear, Let the showers hide your tears, Quit longing for footsteps outside, ‘Cause no one is coming tonight ...

A thorn in my flesh, It hurts every day. The more I want to walk away, The more it gets in the way. A constant reminder of my past, The stuffs I did, the mistakes I made. So deep, it now touches the bone, I can take it out, and move on. But, it could kill me to remove the thorn, From the extreme agony and blood loss. Not even sure, if I want to part from it, After all it’s a part of me now. ...

She reads bits and bytes like Latin-English alphabets. She deals with IP addresses like elementary school mathematics. She brushes her teeth with 7 layers of OSI. And, combs her hair with broken passwords of her neighbors’ WiFi. Workstation in one hand, GPS in her locket, Not forgetting the rooted droid in her pocket, She doesn’t need to drink n’ smoke to get her daily fix, Work is her alcohol, she’s a workaholic. ...

When I go… I hope you remember the moments we spent, And regret the moments we couldn’t. I hope you wish I could stay a little longer, But know in your heart that it’s not possible. I hope your heart aches for the sorrow, Of knowing I won’t be here with you, tomorrow. I hope your eyes shed a tear or two, When I have to finally bid adieu. … And till that time comes, I promise, I won’t go, I won’t go. ...

You do what you know best, Make me miserable, Keep me tied. Continue stressing me, Till I reach breaking point. Bring out your best weapons, Keep up the torture, until you get tired. It’s my promise, I won’t complain. But remember this… One day it will be my turn, One day I will just snap, One day this volcano will burst. That day I will vent, spew the lava in me, That day you will burn, and burn severely. That day YOU don’t complain. ...

Strip me - not just of my clothes, My skin, my flesh, my bones. Look straight into my bare soul, Is it not mirror image of your own? Then what makes you think I am, Any different than who you are? Look closer and you will find, My conscience bears the same invisible scars. Yes, may be the journeys are different, Our destinations are all the same, Stop wearing these shades of prejudiced ignorance, May be I am not your enemy, may be… a friend. ...

मैं करदा रवां इंतज़ार, पर अज्ज मेरा यार नि आया। मैं पट्ट देखां, देखां कई वार, के अज्ज मेरा यार नि आया। कि कित्ता मैं गल कोई खार, जे अज्ज मेरा यार नि आया। लगदा ओंनू देखे दिन हुए हज़ार, ना अज्ज मेरा यार नि आया। आजा, अब ते कंवली होया यार, क्यों अज्ज तू मेरे यार नि आया। मेनू सौ उस दी, मैं छड्ड देना संसार, जो अज्ज मेरा यार नि आया। ...

At one point you were the toast of my life, We were to live together, together we were to die. But as it happens, life took you away from life, It felt my arteries were getting sliced off by a knife. And then you moved on somewhere, Only sometimes I called your number. You had made new pals there, Me, You forgot to remember. But I can’t really blame you, You were scaling new highs. And I felt jealous and lonely, As I fought just so as to survive. ...