Truly Passionate

29-06-05

Passion
Isn’t about loving in the arms of your husband
Wild, abandoned onslaught on the senses
Moans of pleasure, sighs of contentment.

Passion
Isn’t the fire ignited in you heart
By a small gesture from your beloved.

Passion
Isn’t the mindless ardour
Mistaken by some as ‘love.’

Passion is much more than that
Which we count as its definition
Or its manifestation for our justification.

Passion
Is the resolution, born of determined faith,
Discarded pessimism, banished doubts,
Though the task at hand seems mountainous.

Passion
Is the steadfast commitment,
Being propelled by intrinsic motivation,
Knowing temptations may strike in a momentary lapse.

Passion
Is the utter dedication to the mission
Sacrificing momentary comfort
To be worthy of the ultimate reward

Passion
Is unrepentant persistence in one goal,
Consistent repetitions to counter mistakes
And finally seize your rightful success

In that sense my friend,
Your life has been worthless
If you never felt passion,
If you weren’t passionate about even a single thing!

Based on Surah al Fatiha

19-06-05

In Your name, O Lord we begin,
With Mercy and Compassion You reign.
All Praise and Glory be to You,
As Master of this universe, undeniably true!
The sole authority on Judgement Day,
Mercy and Compassion is yours to give away.
Only to You we bow our head,
Beseeching Your help many tears we shed.
Show us the straight path of truth
Tread by those whom You’re pleased with
Keep us away from path of evil
Tread by followers of the accursed devil.

Haiku Collection-1

Blue sky up above
What a wondrous creation
Of the Almighty

..........................................
Bloody, lifeless
A fallen body....stabbed
Darkness pervades on earth
..........................................

Islamic Haiku

I shall attempt to write a haiku with an Islamic theme. Is such a thing possible? Perhaps, if one chooses not to think of the latinised arabic terms as complications.....in relation to the 5/7/5 rule.....I guess. I'll give it a go....at least I'll get some good laugh out of it.

That reminds me of the Takumi's post about how people label things Islamic this and islamic that....I'm falling into the same trap. ISLAMIC HAIKU indeed!

where are you my muse?

I got a whole bunch of tiles and I need to follow through with.....no inspirationas ye.....

The Coming

20-06-05

A dark cave lies in silence,
Stillness enshrouds the earth,
Sudden illumination fills the heart of one man,
A mission is born.

We live in tight clusters: kith and kin,
Fiercely loyal to our own, dreadful to out rivals,
Perpetual bloodshed mark our way of life,
Our Kaba serves for prayer and profit.

The idols are challenged,
Calls for unity and equality reach all ears,
Who dares to rebel against age-old traditions?
Persecution is their fate.

We try our mightiest to disarm this enchanter,
Yet his followers grow,
Our leaders despair,
Their rule has all but collapsed.

Driven out of home,
Families, possessions abandoned
Followers of the new way persevere still
What promise drives their will?

We gather forces
Our aim is their total annihilation
Alas! All our battles lost!
Their humility increases with each victory.

The new wave surges all over the lands
Submerging our minds,
Cleansing long-held disbelief and superstition
Lighting our hearts with the truth.

Freedom

19-06-05

Freedom is the wings of a wandering albatross
Freedom is the beacon from a lighthouse
Freedom is the courage to aim higher
Freedom is the suppression of base desire
Freedom is distinction of good from vice
Freedom is bringing the oppressor to final demise
Freedom is embracing all humanity
Freedom is cherishing honour and dignity
Freedom is to have your life under control
Freedom is to rise above all material goal
Freedom is working toward a clear vision
Freedom is striving for life’s only mission
And the ultimate
Freedom is in sincere servitude to one God.

Born Muslim

20-06-05

Born Muslim,
My soul bound to the Creator,
From the beginning of time.

I open my eyes in a strange world,
It teaches set things, to be silently complied,
Expectations are forced on me.

The tentacles of life tighten around me,
Blocking my sight, suppressing my conscience,
Unwilling to let go.

My identity diffused within the rubbles of existence,
Life’s direction off-course,
I no longer know why I live.

My soul is withered, thirsty,
Searching for the way,
To be reborn and live again in God’s way.

Extremist

18-06-05 (the original was started about 3-4 yeahs ago)

They call me Extremist
They call me Fundamentalist
What is my crime?

O Allah
You’re my witness
I live to love and worship you,
And forbid what lies
Beyond the limit you drew.

If this is the crime
They accuse me of,
I’ll plead guilty,
For eternity.

O Allah
You’re my witness
I rejected all man made philosophies
All ‘isms’ and …………
To Islam I surrendered my heart,
From your deen, I’ll never part.

The world has abandoned me,
I’ve been disowned by friends and family,
Outcast in my community,
Yet, I am happy to sacrifice all,
For my faith, I’ll stand tall.

They call me fanatic
They label me ‘lunatic’
Whatever my suffering
Oh Allah
You’re my Witness
I’ll endure it willingly.

Inspired from the bangla song Tomake valobashi bole, tomar hukum mene choli bole, hoyechi rajakar, boleje moulobadi

Two-who-suck!

18-06-05

“You know you suck”
“Who me?”
“Yes you”
“You suck too”
“I know but you suck more”
“You suck heaps”
“And you suck tons”
“You suck millions”
“You suck billions”
“You suck trillions. Ha ha that’s the last you can count”
“Well, then, you suck infinitely”
“Arrrrgh! You still suck more than me. Let’s see. You suck double infinity”
“Can’t have double infinity, there no such thing”
“Ok, you’re a super-suck”
“Fine you’re the Queen suck then. In chess, Queen’s higher than the king”
“Arrrrrgh! Can we change the topic?”
“Su**-**re!” (suck-more)

Precious Motivation

10-03-05

"How can you preach to those,
Aware of their purpose in life
Yet unmoved to fulfil it?"

Withered Image

14-12-04

I’ve decided that
My reflection will never show
Who I am inside.*
The beast has triumphed over
The beauty in me.
The world sees only my ugliness- and shudders.

Prince Charming,
Don’t bother coming for Snow White.
Her death is no illusion.
Can’t you tell
When you look at me?

Will sleeping beauty ever awake?
I think she is content to lie
To escape the trials of this world,
No, the world did not fall asleep with her.
It stayed awake to speculate her weakness.
Is that why I cannot sleep?
My body lies, yet finds no relief?

I know not the reason,
But I know that I am
Unhappy at the world,
How it sees what it perceives to be me.

* I was still thinking about the song Reflection in Mulan.

Carrier

07-03-05

Slithering, sliding,
Like a giant worm,
Panting, screeching softly.
Metallic body twisting, bending
On the winding trails,
Carrying masses of live cargo
Loading and unloading
At every dock,
Again racing to
Numerous destinations.
No organic feed,
Energy gained from energy.
Delayed often, arriving late,
Live cargoes britsle in annoyance.
Yet beholden,
As they load impatiendtly
Into its humming belly.

* I wrote this after a half hour delay at Central station when I really couldn't stand it anymore.

The Scar on My Face

01-12-04

Do you see a scar,
The scar on my face?
It is a symbol of grief
The endless torment and suffering
The world has meted out to me.

Do you see a scar,
The scar on my face?
It speaks of hopes long gone...........(unfinished)

Time

01-12-04

Time is of the essence,
Time is transitory,
Time will come to cease,
Time is momentary.

Yet many waste it,
Behind the trivial pursuits of life.
Some reach great heights of fame,
And engrave their name in history.
Some usurp the earth,
And terrorise its inhabitants.
They too cannot outlive,
The promise of time.
Death will be tasted by all.

What have you done,
To live your imprint upon,
This marvellous design?

The future passes into present,
The present soon becomes past,
Yesterday is gone,
Today is the time to get things done.

Night of Power

11-11-04

A night better than thousand months.
A night to change our destiny, to shape our future.
A night to pray, to beg for forgiveness.
A night to shed tears, to kneel in repentance.
A night of blessing, a night so rare,
Once every year, it is here.
But which night it is, we do not know.
The last five odd nights- we must follow.
……………………incomplete

My credit, Your Disgrace

11-11-04

A+ in my report
They say “But of course,
I used to be smart at school too.”
“You are carrying the same genes.”
But when I fall short of expectations,
When my actions make them ashamed,
They cry, “Why are you so different from me?”
“I never did such thing!”
In perplexed disappointment,
They wonder where I picked up these habits.
Do you see the irony?
The hypocrisy
In their bewildered tone?
All credit in their due,
Disgrace is my own.
Is it so much to be ask, to be
Given a little autonomy?
To be recognised
As a unique person in my own right?
‘Tis Allah that gives and withholds
‘Tis His praise we should sing
If to Him we hand all credit
Humility it will bring.

Hope for a New Dawn

22-09-04

The sun perished beyond the horizon,
It seems many eons ago.
Gone was the hope of humanity
The world ruled by
Murder, chaos, insanity.
The wicked prosper,
The righteous mourn.
Goodness is shunned,
Evil proudly adorned.
The guilty is rewarded,
The innocent punished.
Faith and worship,
Treated as superstitions of bygone days.
Friendship, trust and love,
Traded and betrayed for paltry gains.

Yet,
The glimmers of goodness
Refuse to vanish.
The pure amidst this corrupt crowd
Shine now and again.
Can’t you hear the herald?
Of a new beginning?
Patience; have faith
A new dawn is waiting.

New tongue?

31-08-04

Do you ever wonder,
the short hand people use on cyberspace,
will it become a language of its own one day?

A Bundle of Disappointments

21-09-04

Life is a bundle of disappointments,
A series of failures
Countless problems and obstacles
Barring success from ever reaching me.

You didn’t help,
With your sneering and domineering ways
I’m only a human with a heart,
Do you know how many times it broke?

I have seen the bleakness of night,
Its hours endlessly long,
While mornings sped me by
A rarity vanishing swiftly…mockingly.

Yet I linger day after day, yearning….
I want to hope, live and love,
I want to accomplish.
I want to be worthy of my wish.

But reality strikes cruelly,
Too many shackles pull me to the ground.
Will I never be free to dream as I please?
Will mistakes and failures pursue me relentlessly?

When I Grow Up

(I wrote this at 21; imagining myself being an old woman)
16-08-04

When I grow up,
I want to have my family around me.

When I grow up,
I want to play with my grandchildren
To tell them stories of golden ages gone by,
Of Prophets and companions,
Who were virtuous and valiant.

When I grow up,
I don’t want to worry about,
Superannuation, retirement homes.

When I grow up,
I want to be free from the endless
Family duties and social responsibilities.

When I grow up,
I want to be treated with respect,
For young people to heed my words,
And value my judgement.

When I grow up,
I want my children to love me,
To see me as a person,
And not a burden,
To appreciate the years of care I’ve given
To forgive my failings,
To be a better parent that I was.

When I grow up,
I want to spend my time in worship,
Allah has given me a long life, alhamdulillah,
How much of it did I spend fi sabilillah?
Have I done enough to pass Judgement on that Day?

Every moment of my life,
And not only when I grow up,
I want to be ready to meet my Maker.

The Sky

16-08-04

A golden orb spans the horizon,
Morning creeping; night long gone.
Tufts of white marshmallow,
Invade a sea of blue,
An amazing design over-head,
Suspended without glue.
When the lights are out,
Human beings lost in slumber,
Look up at the brilliant performance,
Stars, plants and galaxies in splendour.

A Friendship Lost

16-08-04

It is my fault,
I know now,
Yet I cannot admit,
I do not know how,
To apologise adequately.

You and I begin way back,
A childhood shared,
Laughter, grief, joy,
Nothing spared,
Lives surrounded each other completely.

Yet when I moved away,
Separated by space so vast,
That time sped us by,
Just as thoughtlessly.

I thought of you often,
More so when I was alone,
But I never said a word,
A rift so large and never cured,
Unsure, I looked on longingly.

I am sorry more than I can say,
I grieve for the friendship lost,
Through the passage of time and space,
A treasure that slipped away carelessly.

I think of the years that could have been,
Discovering the world together,
Growing, shaping one another,
I know I would have lived and loved,
More joyfully.

* I've resumed contact with her now (after about 8 years), which was thankfully initiated by another friend. Sadly, things just arent the same anymore...

Frustrated!

16-08-04

Why is life so busy?
No time to relax; no time to breathe,
Working, studying, shopping, outing,
Where is worship; what about faith?

Why is life so boring?
Seeking, finding bodily pleasures,
Chasing wealth through endless measures,
Been everywhere; done it all,
Nothing’s new; a monotonous roll,
Where are virtues; what about manners?

Why is life so demanding?
Living by ads; conformation,
Peer pressure; affirmation,
Following crowds; primal urges,
Anarchy rules, crime surges,
Where is self-pride; what about honours?

Why is life so draining?
Always taking, grabbing, pinching,
Centre of attention; all seeking
Nobody’s willing to spare or share
Where is giving; what about care?

It won’t get better;
If we do not change
And our life we must rearrange.

Never-ending Everlasting

13-08-2004

The sun breaks dawn,
The sun goes down.
The moon peeks through stygian black,
Stars glitter on the dark night cloak,
Days go by; never to return,
Life goes on; memories left behind.
After one, another season follows,
A montage of smells, pictures and colours.
Each summer brings on another year,
New things to learn; experiences to bear.
Each year in the life of man,
Leads closer to their final end,
What are we doing in this brief sojourn?
Fated to die; as we were born?
Allah has revealed certain obligation,
Do our pursuits suffice the preparation?
For the world to come is never-ending,
There we’ll remain; everlasting.

MEDIA

13-08-2004

Cook a lie,
Season with bias,
Garnish with exaggeration,
Serve with sensationalism.
The wonderful dish called MEDIA
Will keep you coming back for more.

Not Alone

13-08-2004

My heart breaks,
My soul cries,
Why am I alone in my grief?
Nobody understands
My private anguish.
Am I so unique?
Different from the world?
Am I not one of them?
Am I all on my own?

No matter how alone,
I must remember,
Allah is always there,
He’s there to answer,
If I take to time to make a prayer,
He will grant it with much care.

Why do they Say?

13-08-2004

“War is the cause of all problems,” they say,
“Religion is the cause of all wars,” they say.
What about the war waged against nature
By the same people?
Looting, plundering, polluting in a bid to get richer.
A life of luxury and comforts they crave,
To desires, they endlessly slave,
To the detriment of morals and values,
Abusing the rights of their fellows.
Then,
Do they say these things to cover their acts?
Open your eyes, if you want the facts.

JUSTICE

13-08-2004

It is a word that mustn’t be said,
Mustn’t be uttered, mustn’t be betrayed.
You define it by your whim,
Cutting, pasting or deleting as you deem.
It is a right forever abused,
A fight long defeated and trounced.
It is a promise of false pretensions,
A lure of countless, nameless deceptions.
You say justice will prevail surely;
If under your flag we rally,
But you lie, you slander,
In your hand does it suffer loot and plunder.
The world moans, the people grieve,
For justice is raped each day and eve,
The UN; a terrible shame ,
Not worth our hope, this cruel game.
Prisoner abuse, detaining refugees,
Economic sanctions and biased foreign policies,
Yet after all this;
You claim to be the epitome of peace and Justice!

Almighty in the Heaven above,
Looks down on us with fairness and love.
Have you seen Justice this true?
Await the Akhirah, it’ll prevail through and through.

start

I wrote my first poem in bangla: prbably a total of 8-10: most of which are lost. These poems I began writing last year, after being inspired by Tahseen's work. I do not know the elements of writing poetry and I do not have a favourite poet or follow anyone's style. In fact, I don't read much poetry at all, unless it is recommended to me by someone or composed by someone I know. What I have here is just my very own expression...