The tale of a singer !

Far away
at the edge of the earth, a singer
in his voice, deep and down
sings
a song of love and longing
for his homeland.
The startling beauty of the beloved land
plays in his mind
the music of
fear
with the melody of hope
and
freedom.

Deeply immersed in his music
the static mountains of his lands
starts walking
in front of his eyes
on distance horizons, as if
eternity struggles for itself
to breathe in.
The present cries in his songs.

In the chill of freezing nights
far away from his land
he wears
a shawl of his songs that he sang for his people.
Time stops for a while, as if
wants to sleep
on the silent shoulders of the poetry
or perhaps, wants to mourn
on the lyrics of his songs.
He starts walking on the lines of his melody
and continues his journey
with tears of hope
singing alone
a song of love and longing for his homeland.
Frail is the heart of a singer
who is in love with his land, and
the people in it.
And Love
too unfathomable to understand!

(A very small dedication to our beloved Pashtun singer, Haroon Bacha, who always inspires us in his songs that he always sings right from his heart and whose warm and obtrusive embrace with the land and the people in his songs is a balm beyond measure. His songs are soothing, healing and a therapeutic for every Pashtun soul. )

Farid Gul, London, 27th February, 2010