zindagi marg-e-talab tark-e-talab 'akhtar' na thi — Akhtar Hoshiyarpuri

log nazron ko bhi paDh lete hain
apni aankhon ko jhukaae rakhnaa

chaman ke rang-o-bu ne is qadar dhokaa diyaa mujh ko
ki main ne shauq-e-gul-bosi mein kaanTon par zabaan rakh di

Takraa ke sar ko apnaa lahu aap chaaTte
achchhaa huaa ki dasht mein divaar-o-dar na the

baarhaa ThiThkaa huun khud bhi apnaa saaya dekh kar
log bhi katraae kyaa kyaa mujh ko tanhaa dekh kar

kuchh mujhe bhi yahaan qaraar nahin
kuchh tiraa gham bhi dar-ba-dar hai yahaan

main apni zaat ki tashrih kartaa phirtaa thaa
na jaane phir kahaan aavaaz kho gai meri

kam-umri mein sunet hain
mar jaate hain achchhe log

main tujh se saath bhi to umar bhar kaa chaahtaa thaa
so ab tujh se gilaa bhi umar bhar kaa ho gayaa hai

idhar to tuul diyaa hai umiid ko us ne
udhar hayaat ataa ki hai mukhtasar mujh ko

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

bas ek pal ki tamannaa-e-vasl ki khaatir
tamaam 'umr lagaa di gai sanvarne mein

zindagi tu bhi hamein vaise hi ik roz guzaar
jis tarah ham tujhe barson se guzaare hue hain