baahar insaanon se nafrat hai lekin — Ahmad Shanas

bahut chhoTaa safar thaa zindagi kaa
main apne ghar ke andar tak na pahunchaa

kaun qatre mein uThaataa hai talaatum
aur antar-aatmaa tak sinchtaa hai

chaand mein darvesh hai jugnu mein jogi
kaun hai vo aur kis ko khojtaa hai

saat qulzum hain mire siine mein
ek qatre se ubhaaraa thaa mujhe

ek bachcha zehn se paisa kamaane ki machine
dusraa kamzor thaa so yarghamaali ho gayaa

main us ki pahchaan huun yaa vo meri
kyaa samjhun aur vo samjhaae kyaa kyaa

main baDaa ho gayaa huun magar bachpanaa
mere dil se kabhi bhi gayaa hi nahin

umr hi teri guzar jaaegi un ke hal mein
teraa bachcha jo savaalaat liye baiThaa hai

meraa bachpan bhi saath le aayaa
gaanv se jab bhi aa gayaa koi

ham ko bachpan hi se ik shauq thaa barbaadi se
naam likh likh ke miTaate the zamin par apnaa

bachpan ne hamein di hai ye shirini-e-guftaar
urdu nahin ham maan ki zabaan bol rahe hain

main jab bhuke parinde dekhtaa huun apne aangan mein
mujhe apne vatan ke nange bachche yaad aate hain