na-gahan aur be-nihayat se agar pichhe hatogi to tujhe malum hoga
na-gahan to main hun lekin kaun tha wo be-nihayat

koi pichhla jis ne tujh ko mujh se pahle
teri kachchi umr mein

yun chir kar zakhmi kiya tha tu tadapti rah gai thi aur ye kadwa-kasila zahr
sote jagte khwabon mein amrit jaan kar piti rahi hai

kyun bhala? kyun nur naghme ya kisi harf-e-tasalli se
tarah nars khala khali raha itne dinon tak?

aur ab phir tu aaj agar ek na-gahani hadse mein
na-gahan se aa mili hai apni pakki umr mein to yun samajh

jaise ki kachchi aur pakki donon umron mein koi nisbat nahin hai
puchh khud se

ek chauthai sadi ke baad phir kyun
justuju hai tujh ko us zalim darinda-sifat ki, jis ko ye kah kar

chhod aai thi jhatak kar, ek wahshi jaanwar ho be-nihayat
tum se nafrat hai mujhe

na-gahan kya be-nihayat ki tarah wahshi nahin tha?
han, magar wo jaanwar shayad nahin tha

(jaanwar, tum jaanti ho, chirte hain, phadte hain!)
is liye ab tajraba wo apni pakki umr mein dohra ke khud

harf-e-tasalli ka sahaara chahti ho?
khud se puchho, kya ye sachchai nahin hai?