zaraa dhuup us sil ko chhu le miyaan — Aarij Meer

"har gaam pe haalaat se ik naqsh banaa hai ehsaas miraa chaaron taraf phail gayaa hai main bhi huun tahi-dast kharidaaron ki saf mein basti mein miri misr kaa baazaar lagaa hai chaahegaa bhalaa kaun ho divaaron kaa qaidi taqdir magar bair havaaon se paDaa hai barte hue alfaaz mire sher na chhuein haalaat nae hain miraa ehsaas nayaa hai maujein mire paanv se dabi ret na le jaaein armaan ke saahil pe koi soch rahaa hai har moD pe main khud se milaa haath pasaare main ne hi miri soch pe har vaar kiyaa hai"

"bas gai aa ke aankhon mein shaam-e-adn jagmagaate badan rang-e-rukh pairahan sahmi sahmi kiran sabz akhlaaq ki khurdure peD be-barg halki chubhan sarsaraati hui ret karti hai chheD kasmasaane lage sipiyon ke badan khushk aavaara phirtaa huaa gard-baad muntashir raah mein shor-e-zaagh-o-zaghan dhuup rangoliyon mein bhare raushni jagmagaataa huaa aarzu ka chaman"

"dharti ki zabaan suukh gai zard hui ghaas aakaash se imsaal utarti hai faqat pyaas aabaad hui shaam ki raunaq mire ghar mein saDkon pe bhaTaknaa mujhe kyon aaegaa ab raas haathon mein hai fursat ki guthaa ziist kaa lachchhaa yaaron kaa sar-e-shaam huaa lawn pe ijlaas ab jaaun kahaan chhat se Tapakti hain balaaein ab kis kaa bharosaa huaa ghar ghar se nahin aas manzar hain sabhi mere dil-e-binaa pe raushan ghurbat mein miraa shahr bhi hotaa hai mire paas"

"sadiyon se shab-o-roz yahi soch rahaa huun main kaun khudaa kaun hai main bhuul gayaa huun aise mein umangein hi zaraa saaz uThaaein dahliz pe phir se main iraadon ki khaDaa huun har chand bhaTaknaa paDaa baazaar mein barson har shakl ki tasvir magar khinch chukaa huun aae na yaqin aae kisi aur ko mujh par sahraa-e-khamoshi mein bahut der phiraa huun 'aarij' kabhi utraa huun andheron ke jigar mein suraj ke samundar mein kabhi gharq huaa huun"

"apni baaton ko tolnaa hogaa yaani suraj ko bolnaa hogaa dhuup kamre mein yuun na aaegi uTh ke darvaaza kholnaa hogaa haadse hain shikast-aamaada maut ko sar pe Dolnaa hogaa naqsh bikhraa diye havaa ne sab ek ik zarra rolnaa hogaa aankh vaale se ye taqaazaa hai ek andhaa huun bolnaa hogaa"

"sar-kashi vusat-o-pahnaai tak qurbatein sirf paziraai tak sath-dar-sath badan raushan hai kaun pahunchaa tiri raanaai tak talchhatein tairti hain simaabi dhuup ki yurishein binaai tak pau phaTi raat magar aankhon mein silvaTein zaat ki gahraai tak shaam khushbuein nasha aur naghma aur phir kho gai binaai tak"