She asks me
What is a poem?
Her shapely nose,
Her lips like two slices of water melon,
Her eyes reflecting clear blue sky,
Her thick hair like dark grey clouds,
Her horizon-like forehead
Are poems.
Frolicking of children,
Gossiping old women,
Cheering buddies gathered to spend an evening together,
Waiting travellers with carry-on bags in hand,
Strolling couples in a park, picnickers,
Are all features of a poem.
Lively sunlight warming the sanitorium stairs,
A nude poster,
A gypsy girl,
Are poems.
Ramble through a wonderland,
Laughter at an amusement park,
Still blue lake,
Scream of herons slipping on the rocks,
Thunder of a water fall,
Symphony of four seasons,
Song of pure rains,
Silent hunch of rainbow, arching over all,
Are poems.
Children of Bosnia
All are words of a poem.
Prior to gang rape
Women were preambles to poems,
Now they are complete poems.
Suppressed scream of a prisoner
In torture chamber
Is also a poem.
The blood ablaze
In the snow clad valley of Kashmir
Is fast becoming a poem.
Death of the starving in Somalia is a poem.
Coffin of the peace keeping soldier
Is a real-life poem.
She asks me, what is a poem?
Shall I tell her
That her poem inscribing fingers are too a poem
And her handwriting,
Her handsome portrait,
Her brown sandal
Even destiny under her feet
Are a poem.
She knows!
She is a poem to me clad in mauve.
Still she asks me
What is a poem?
(1992, Translated from Urdu by Samina Amjad, Translation reviewed by Lillian Thomas)
A facsimile or mirror image of What a Poem is? Brilliant write…thanks… 10++ Ms. Nivedita UK
i agree with you the canvas of poetry is vast.....we need to focus our art on world problems in our forums to illuminate awareness......and you write very well for this purpose
This is still my favorite of all your poems. I hope you are well and still writing, if not on poemhunter, then somewhere. I do not post on poemhunter anymore, but visit occasionally., check yours.
naseer, i relate to this poem- especially the first stanza. many times i have walked a gallery and noted the beauty of the women and children present surpassed the art displayed. thank you for sharing it. and thanks also to samina and lillian for their help. it is wise of you to enlist it- even as my first and only fluent language, english is a challenge to mastery. a fellow poet, glen kappy
Anything that enthuse sentimental thoughts and emotions expressed in meaningful phrases are poems, they are innate and instinctive. Well-penned!
beautiful sketches that evolve poetry. nice imagination. about write i hv nothing to say bcoz you are self a man of letter but the imagination are rare a gift of god.i cordially invite you to read my poems n comment. regards always.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
I have nothing to say but it's beautiful.....very beautiful poem