unhen mujh se shikayat hai ki main mazi mein jiti hun
mere ashaar mein aaseb hain guzre zamanon ke
wo kahte hain ki yaaden sae ki manind mere sath rahti hain
ye sach hai is se kab inkar hai mujh ko
main aksar jagte din mein bhi aankhen mund leti hun
koi surat koi aawaz koi zaiqa ya lams jab jadu jagata hai
to gard-alud mina-taur taswiren achanak bolne lagti hain natak-manch sajta hai
kisi tute hue sanduq mein rakkhe hue
bosida makhtute se koi dastan tamsil ban jati hai
ji uthte hain sab kirdar mazi ke
sipahi baadshah khilat nawadir raqs-o-mausiqi
kisi ke panw mein pael dhanak aanchal
kisi shamshir ki bijli ghani barsat ki badli
kisi bara-dari mein rag dipak ka
kisi sehn-e-gulistan mein kadam ke ped par baithi hui chidiyan
achanak jag jati hain
kisi gumnam qasbe mein koi tuti hui mehrab khasta-haal-dewdhi ki jhalak
madum kar deti hai hotel chae-khane bas ke adde dher kude ke
kai sadiyan guzar jati hain sar se
aur koi gum-gashta shahr-e-raftagan bedar hota hai
isi manzar ka hissa ban ke main taswir ho jati hun kho jati hun mazi mein
mein aksar aabna-e-waqt par kaghaz ki naw dal deti hun
to pani apna rasta mod deta hai
main jab chahun
saloni sanwli nat-khat madhur yaaden utha laun ladakpan ke gharondon se
main jab chahun to kali kothari mein qaid
ranjida pasheman zakhm-khurda-saaton bite dinon ko pyar se chhu kar
dilasa dun thapak kar loriyan dun
khub roun khub roun shant ho jaun
ye mazi mera mazi hai
faqat mere tasarruf mein hai
meri milkiyyat hai mera wirsa hai
na mera haal par bas hai
aur aane wala kal bhi kis ne dekha hai