Kaafiya - The Poetry Festival: How 'Kaafiya' Came To Be

Kaafiya - The Poetry Festival: How 'Kaafiya' Came To Be: As we embark on the journey to make Kaafiya come alive as the grand dream we are all dreaming together, it is apt to hear from the Founde...

The moon is sitting on the branch of a tree

Dangling his legs into the sea, and

The night, hand-picks diamonds to embellish her wings...

© Neha R Krishna

मुझे उन चार दीवारों का रंग याद नहीं 

जीन चार दीवारों का रंग आज़ाद नहीं...

© Neha R Krishna

SHE

Like a delicate flower she wears red color smile, 

And velvety soft gestures 

Her wavy hair, like a black horse drilling the air, to paint fire.

In a pellucid jar of time, she poured red wine and dropped in two cubes of sugar, 

Stirring it with a silver spoon, she looked for some ice.

Audacity is the only jewel that blinks on her finger,

The sea choreographed her moves, and she took birth from fire.

When the sky saw her, it bent down to kiss her satiny smooth smile.

The satanic ocean is also thirsty looking at her serene cosmic soul.

SHE cherishes her womanhood with audacity...  

© Neha R Krishna

"Just You"

The graceful good stars belong to none, 

The moon is too drunk to ring the morning bell;

The sun, 

floating in the pool of wine 

tasting the sparkling golden liquid 

distilling the high spirited aura.

The frozen rocks floating like diamonds, 

Old scotch whisky blending the ageing night in a pellucid glass    The tasteless crystals channeling the eyes with a blur image of sigh. 

The moment of lazy kisses yawns, when 

my heart skips and hops every alternate beat. 

When the lyrics of your heart hold my breath,   

The royal love is then crowned with fire.

Is that your words, smelling like roasted beans of caffeine, hmm?

The humming breath fly high with every whisper

you decorate in my ears.

Brewing the scent of my blood, my senses tucked me in the echo of your words 

like meditating, with every sip of tequila. 

The loops of naughty thoughts injecting cocaine into my sensory neuron 

My vision reflects your image, and I,

I breathe you, umm... Just you...

© Neha R Krishna

I Breathe, I Bleed...

The tale of woe continued, the colour of my blood is pain 

Unshared, dejected.

A piece of sorrow hemmed in, in my throat, choking my smile

Regardless, I bear

Even the tears are afraid to retire

Will be left with nothing, then, 

Stealing some saline crystals 

To erase the black smile, hidden beneath my skin, 

The spelling of 'smile', I don't remember

I don't smile anymore...

© Neha R Krishna

Ah! I want to kiss your grey smile 

Your eyes flare my sight 

Painting my soul with your words

Umm! You make me hungry in each of our conversations...

© Neha R Krishna

My biggest fear is seclusion

Bloody silence when shines on me

My trembling voice betrays me from within 

Cannot purdah my isolation 

Shackled in pain, I

I cannot share my tears...

© Neha R Krishna

Love Carnival

Your voice is so tempting, it reminds me of, the liquid chocolate catering and swirling my taste buds 

And the chocolate, that melts in, to the euphoric core

The dark chocolate like tone when teases me, 

My soul dramatically excites for a roller coaster ride.

Is the night young or it's the sun, imitating the white kiss?

Is it the day sun playing with the lustrous rays or it's the moon, imitating the yellow fun?

My senses are tripping ecstasy

What is my name, I remember not

Please... Whisper it out loud, the texture of my name is so smooth and velvety, when you celebrate it.

© Neha R Krishna

"How do I look"

Ugly, is the color of my blood 

Running in me, 

To keep me mere alive

My heart slapping every beat, 

To keep me mere alive

Decaying layers of my skin are not able to hide the bones of my guilt

I smell ugly, I do

And, when I asked the mirror of my soulful rusty eyes

How do I look?

"Ugly" It slammed me

I worship I breathe 

The demon and his love for lust

Elegantly divine demon and his cosmic lust

Ugly is beautiful, yes, very beautiful...

© Neha R Krishna

ज़िद्दी...

ठीक है,

तुम्हारी यहीं ज़िद है ना, कि तुम मेरे सपनो में आओगे, मिलने मुझसे

तो लो, इसी ज़िद में, तुम्हें और तुम्हारी ज़िद को ज़ेहन में रखते हुए

हम भी ये वादा करते है, कि,

अब हम अपनी आँखें कभी नहीं खोलेंगे...

© Neha R Krishna

"Fading"

Lost... Sigh! I lost it, 

I lost you, I lost me,

Everything... I lost everything

In a bet with time;

I thought, I can win you over time

Losing you was the only nightmare

I never wanted to chase

Hence,

I wagered you with time

Did I, Did I do any wrong

But. When. I.

When I wagered you with time

I saw you fading... fading

© Neha R Krishna

"Frozen Little Heart"

Collecting some pieces 

And, some more pieces 

Of my heart, 

My frozen little heart 

Which scattered 

In one touch of your words

Which you never shared

But it's killing me, it's the

The expression of your silent words

© Neha R Krishna

"आओ, सूरज बाँट लें..."

आओना, हम सूरज बाँट लें

तुम सुबह की अंगड़ाई तोड़ लेना

और मैं गुलाबी शाम परोसूँगी

शहर शहर किससे बिखेर देंगे

आओना, एक बार

सूरज बाँट लें, हम

एक सूरज, तुम्हारे देश का

सजाऊँ, अपने बरामदे में

और, भेजू एक सूरज अपने हवालों से

तुम्हारा घर सजाने के लिए

तन्हा तन्हा क्यूँ बैठे 

आओना, सूरज बाँट लें हम

पंखों पे सूरज के,

हाल-ए-दिल लिख, भेज रही हूँ

तुम अहवाल-ए-दिल-ए-ज़ार बाँट देना मुझसे

आओना, 

सूरज बाँट लें हम...

© Neha R Krishna

A lot can happen over a hug

Sometime love needs nothing, no words, no expressions, but a serene gesture of hug. A lot can happen over a hug, over a warm tight hug. Sometimes, words are not able to portray themselves potent enough to dominate feelings, they only conceive misunderstanding. Then, silence holds the secret of love, but it should flow through the waves of gestures, for silence is like Braille, it needs the gesture of touch to understand, when it seeps within. 


                           © Neha R Krishna

अर्ज़ी

कितनी मोहब्बत करते है

कभी तो, इस बात को मानो 

इश्क़ हैं, तो कहो ना, 

जीने की रज़ा दो 

रूठकर हमी से और न सज़ा दो

कुछ बातों के हकदार हम भी है

कुछ अल्फ़ाज़ से हमे भी नवाज़ों

अर्ज़ियाँ दे दे कर, हम तो हार गए... 

© Neha R Krishna

फ़ुतूरी

फ़ुतूरी दिल,

उल्फ़त की आढ़ में 

तेरा होने लगता है 

बावला ये मन

सपना बोने लगता है 

ये केसा फ़ुतूर चढ़ा है,

तुम्हारा ज़िक्र... मुझे, और 

मेरे लम्हों को कितनी आसानी से कमज़ोर बना देते है।।।

© Neha R Krishna

Haiku:

Longing sinful wait-

Years and years of tears and pain;

Counting all seasons...

© Neha R Krishna

चौराह

मिलना है तुझसे, 

मिलने की तमन्ना रखते है

तू चल अपनी राह पे

और, 

मैं यहा से चलती हूँ

ज़िंदगी के चौराह पे मिलेंगे

वक़्त नहीं रुक सकता 

लेकिन हम रुकेंगे 

एक वक़्त, दो घड़ी,

कुछ लम्हों के लिए

जब, ज़िंदगी के चौराह पे मिलेंगे...

© Neha R Krishna

तो, अब मैं चलू?

तुम यूँही मसरूफ़ रहना अपने बहानो में

और कहना कि,

"समय नहीं मिलता तुम तक आने की

मसरूफ़ियत में इसकदर खोया हूँ मैं"

और मैं,

रंग-ए-लम्स देखने के लिए 

अपनी रूह छोड़ जाती हूँ 

सुलझाना नहीं शब्दों को

जिन्हें, मैं छोड़ जाती हूँ 

लो, अब मैं जा रहीं हूँ... 

ख़्वाब सा तुम्हें अपने साथ न ले जाऊ 

चुरा न लूँ तुम्हें, दूर रहना तुम,

मुझसे, दूर रहना 

यूँही अपने बहानो में मसरूफ़ रहना 

और रहना, मुझसे दूर 

उफ़क़ पे बैठ, तुम्हारा इंतज़ार करूँगी 

जब,

मसरूफ़ियत से जी चुराना हो 

तो आना मिलने, फ़ुर्सत से, 

उजली उजली बातें उतारेंगे 

लहरों पर 

एक मुट्ठी फ़ुर्सत ले आना, तुम

और, जाते जाते

एक मुट्ठी बातें ले जाना 

तो, 

अब मैं चलू?

इंतज़ार जो करना है तुम्हारा... 

© Neha R Krishna