Friday 15 September 2017

Taabiir ~ Stories From Urdu


Taabiir
(Urdu; Interpretation)


There are days my words fail me.
They just sit there. Lazy, wasting their youth and curving at their sides and thighs with bloat from lack of exercise.
I wish they were more disciplined, my words. A small contingent of soldiers, falling in line, arriving on time and ready to lay their lives down for meaning.
My words are no soldiers.
They prefer to lie in the sun, read poetry and dream of everything they could've said.
And so I do that too.
~hyperbolemuch.blogspot.com (Watch the video here).

Wednesday 13 September 2017

Lihaaz ~ Stories From Urdu

Lihaaz
(Urdu; Respect)


Under the streetlight in the corner of the park sits a discarded, old bench; paint peeling and insides home to vermin, termites and dust.
This bench is older than you and me.
He's seen monsoons come and go.
He can tell you where and how every kid in this colony scraped their knee.

He waits every morning for Misters Sinha and Siddiqui. He knows all their jokes by heart. Only a few are actually funny.
He watches them cheat on their diets with stolen pedas every Wednesday and puris on Saturdays.

He holds them in his lap every morning. Trying to make them forget all the things the world turned them away from ever since they turned 80.

~hyperbolemuch.blogspot (Watch the video here).

Friday 1 September 2017

Iltijaa ~ Stories From Urdu

Iltijaa
(Urdu; Request) 

You've whispered names of old lovers to her, each time she's come to visit.
Started to tell her about stories of your childhood, from that time you sat on your nani's verandah, a little boy of six. "Wait here! I know the perfect song for you," you say each time she twirls her dress.
You've blamed all your delays on her.
Told her that while you do love her, you cannot see her every day four days in a row.

You will count the days to her return when she's gone.
You do this, every year.

So maybe tomorrow when the rain comes around for you.
Stop.
Let her talk instead. 


~hyperbolemuch.blogspot.com (The word for rain in Urdu is Baarish (but where's the fun in writing that up front) 🙂. Rain is one of of the big loves of my life 💖. Watch the video here.