Maturity!

Now that it is agreed  between us –

To be cautious

While driving on the bumpy road of life in dusky evenings

I can only say-

We've grown up today!

But O you beautiful lady,  may I ask you one more thing- 

With some interruption-

Before your silence stir my restless heart?

Let's cease this moment with our trembling hearts

Let's our craving lips do the rest of the talking!

Farid Gul, Peshawar, November 11, 2012

Just a little thought !

Be positive, no matter what. Be bold and courageous, no matter what.  Be the voice for the voiceless, no matter what. Always stand for justice, no matter what. Always speak your mind , no matter what. Remember, nothing is greater than the act of kindness, and care. Be kind to everyone. Be kind to animals and birds. Be kind to little flowers and plants. Be kind to your environment. In doing so, some may call you stupid dreamer, wayward idealist.Your value must not diminish based on how people may think of you. Never hide behind stupid religious walls and fears and differences, no matter what. If you stand for others, the world will stand for you, no matter what.Your journey must not stop in the midst of a dark night. It must continue. It must grow, no matter what.

Farid Gul, Peshawar, 26 May, 2015

Because she is a woman ! On International Women Day!

Because she is a WOMAN !
So she can cook for you and your kids-
and THAT'S OK? 
And she is expected to serve you first-
because you are a man
while she can fight her appetite
because she is a woman- AND THAT'S OK too?
And she cleans you and your BLOODY house.
She gets your children ready for school
and YOU- for work. She raises your children-
make them doctors, engineers, teachers, nice human beings.
And she washes, presses and mends your clothes.
And she cleans your babies bottoms which in the best possible way- you avoid to see?
And she does this all - not for an hour or two, but unrecorded tiring , thankless hours.
But she can't poll her vote. Because she is a WOMAN?
Because she has no choice ?

Farid Gul Momand

On Peshawar school massacre !

They left us all,  one day –

For an unknown journey on an unfamiliar road 

A journey –
Like an aching sigh, without end
A road –Like the air or breadth empty


But like migrating birds –
I know they will come back one day
Perhaps- next year
Perhaps-  16th of December


Like migrating birds –
I know they will come back
From the distant shores
Grown up wiser and taller,  only
To pay a TRIBUTE to our dead souls and cheap pride.


Farid Gul Momand , December 18, 2014 

Everything perishes sooner or later !

Everything perishes , sooner or later-
Even the pain of separation –
The silent ecstasy of reunion
Or a rare trance of oblivion- everything perishes.

Everything perishes, sooner or later;
But this heart of mine - ever so youthful
Aspire to live on –
So look inside my heart-
And yours too,
If you have the slightest of mercy to let us live.

Farif Gul Momand, Peshawar

My Diaries- August 21, 2014

When Jinah said that Hindus and Muslims belong to two different religious philosophies, social customs, and hence must have separates states, he was basically against the idea of inclusiveness. His often twisted exclusive version and interpretation of two nation theory paved the way for the creation of a confused country. The separatist idea that he evoked was further strengthened by corrupt civil and military bureaucracy and some strayed often confused pseudo intellectuals and religious demagogues. Little we knew at the point that this intolerant philosophy will further divide the country.

We need to revisit our history- perhaps, re-write our history. We need to learn to respect the individual as well as the collective identities of people living in the country. We need to learn to respect the sites, rituals, variant political, ethnic, linguistic , cultural and religious - agnostic, atheistic identities of people. This doesn't require some alien interpretation and complex application from East or West, North or South but a sympathetic understanding of our collective indigenous wisdom, our Sufi traditions,our cultural landscape- our imaginations and possibilities. We need to erase this difference between US and THEM,only if we are willing to chase our dreams.

"" You cannot cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water"- Tagore

- Excerpts from my diaries- August 21, 2014, Peshawar

My drowsy night !

In the naked silence of the drowsy night

I won’t let the angry wind from the mountains

To steal you from me – or

Sting us hard in oblivion.

My heart is your inn-

I won’t let you abandon it!

I will welcome you with new possibilities. 

And don’t you let me ever miss-

The lonely scent of your breath, tonight!

O you my city of forsaken dreams-

And infinite possibilities

Tell your dwellers-

Not to sob for tonight either- 

Swallow your grief- 

Let your enemies find you in our lyrics. 

Oiii - the exhausted night-

You too tell the distant dawn to wait!

We are in no hurry, tonight! 

Farid Gul, July 6, 2014

It is only our choices that should make us feel important or intelligent- be that going to hell or pay the highest form of sacrifice than live in constant fear and doubt. If freedom is what we all want- then, long live the freedom! If the plight of people from North Waziristan disturbs us no more- then let's call ourselves something else. Let's invent things that console our dead souls ! Let's revisit our dictionaries- maybe something is missing !

Sing to me tonight!

My love-

Before the wings of the starry night steals me from you

Sing to me tonight!

Sing to me tonight before the ice melt on the mountains-

Sing to me tonight- before the shore of the sultry sea merges into nothingness

Perhaps - with another shore- or maybe some unknown continent never explored before.

 So sing to me tonight, my love!

Sing to me tonight before I endlessly weep

And beat my grieving chest with the chains of indifference -

Shed some unwanted tears

And beg the LORD OF THE LAND –

the MIGHTY LORD OF THE LAND to forgive my people

For a crime never being committed.

Farid Gul, June 20, 2014, Peshawar

I hear people saying here that only God could bring much needed peace to the region. Ridiculous! I say, it is us and only us who bring war and peace to our doorsteps, not God or gods. People should fight for peace, or else we've no future !

My Diaries - January 25, 2014

Shared with mother what if we meet again those, who'd never come again like Imran and uncle Ashraf and grandmother. Saw them all in my last night dream. It was pretty odd. They were sharing their stories- we ours. We had tea with biscuits and some random gossips. Grandmother would crumble biscuits before eating and complained about her troubling  toothache. I took her to my room. She was amazed by the number of books. She could read in English too. I was very surprised. She asked if I ever missed her and I cried. I tried hard not to. The rest I can't remember. Mother warned me to stay safe and vigilant while at work in Peshawar or in the field. She is visibly worried . Told her I will. She knows that I can't live in fear. Life after all, can be a burden if lived under constant fear. One must live like a free man. Though, we all have boundaries and some stupid limitations to adhere to. 

2nd week of work with UNFPA and there is so much of work to be done.  It is a nice working environment and everybody is so pleasant and helpful. I wish staff were a bit more professional. UN is like a family and people must be driven by the desire to help the most vulnerable people in need. V from UNHCR shared that she is happy in Peshawar and that people are nice. It was pleasant to hear from an expat.
............. Mother said that it is only god who can bring peace to the country. I don't understand why people expect Khudai to resolve all man made problems-some as technical as recovering a word file on our PC. Why don't we understand that it is people who bring war and peace to their own doorsteps not god or gods. Fried fish for Mahroo and Asma. They came down for an hour with her mother. Asma loves fried fish. She asked which of the nieces I like the most. I say Mahroo and that made her feel unwanted for a second. She wanted me to get her an Afghani gagra. I will get her one soon. She is totally adorable.

Excerpts from my diaries- Jan 25,2013, Peshawar

To Taliban's Apologists!

I don’t know how to begin with:  

I know I may stumble to make sense , while they may

conveniently quote verses from the holy book in the best possible way

with utmost precision

to paint my city in blood- once more. After all, they've stolen the God!

On our side of the road-

it is quite convenient for some to be butchered in the process.

But that’s OK to them!

On the other side of the road-

There are those with long beard, kohl in their eyes, counting Tasbeeh

preaching to kill dozens more , blowing themselves up too,

after all

they are ready to  spend the night on the breasts of 72 odd virgins.

They may burn the already dead ones too-

to achieve some highest form of gratification!

Few yards ahead-

at the crossroad- watching like silent spectators

some clean shaven idiots

who resemble no less than sculptures of all heights-  scared and frozen

as  if made from some RECYCLED flesh of timid souls

spend day in-

day out -

in some intellectual masturbation-

To achieve highest form of political orgasm on my dead people

arguing - "it's not OUR war, it's someone ELSE" !

I say F*****  U ALL!

Karachi, September 29, 2013

An Evening of Readings and Conversation with Farid Gul author of "Paris Hilton vs The Poor Poet & Other Poems "
Date: Wednesday, 2nd October, 2013
Time: 7:00 - 8:30 pm
Venue: PeaceNiche | T2F, 10-C, Sunset Lane, Phase 2 Extension, DHA, Karachi 
http://www.t2f.biz/category/location/

Last words !

And when despair and hopelessness 
start peeping through the window,
to get one final look of your miserable being
and when your ill- wishers start dancing on the songs of sarcasm
and when the memory of a loved one – thousand miles away
sitting somewhere in a cosy café 
surrounds you like an octopus-
and when the angel of DEATH tries to get into your house
and INVADE your personal space
and when you get nervous, helpless, hopeless-
and wet in sweat-
all you want to say-
“O death-
O death-
don’t you scare me with your devious plans
I have still enough left in me
So treat me with some respect
And while you and my enemies lack alphabets of respect in your lexicons
It runs in my blood!
So stab me as hard as you can-
but remember!
Tomorrow- as the first light of the joyous sun touches my rugged mountains
you won’t be here, but I will be!

Karachi, September 7, 2013

Because she is a WOMAN !

Because she is a WOMAN !

So she can cook for you and your kids- 
and THAT'S OK? 
And she is expected to serve you first- 
because you are a man 
while she can fight her appetite 
because she is a woman- AND THAT'S OK too? 
And she cleans you and your BLOODY house. 
She gets your children ready for school 
and YOU- for work. She raises your children-
make them doctors, engineers, teachers, nice human beings.
And she washes, presses and mends your clothes.
And she cleans your babies bottoms which in the best possible way- you avoid to see?
And she does this all - not for an hour or two, but unrecorded tiring , thankless hours.
But she can't poll her vote. Because she is a WOMAN.
Because she has no choice ?

Farid Gul, Karachi, August 22, 2013

http://dawn.com/news/1036447/pashtun-youth-launches-collection-of-english-poetry-today

A poet’s last stand: An expression of agony

A poet’s last stand: An expression of agony

"And when old words die out on the tongue, new melodies break forth from the heart; and where the old tracks are lost, a new country is revealed with its wonders"

Tagore (lines from Geetanjali)

My soon to be published book cover

Loneliness

A man

as strong as a rock

in the prime of his life

enters into his dark room.

He avoids thinking of the world

and the people in it.

But then , loneliness surrounds him like a good old friend.

So he looks around

stares into his abyss

and wishes

a bed of silence

a pillow of peace

a shawl of comfort

and a tissue paper , to wipe

his tears

and his grieving heart.

(Farid Gul, London)