Poetry

The Sufi Tarot Card Reader

‘Hello! Would you like a reading?’ he asked, shuffling the cards with a flourish, his round, bald head settling into

Short Stories

Saatchi, Musharraf and Britney Spears

‘Is there any chance of your catching Osama Bin Laden? That will definitely put you right back at the top

Translations

Hope of Despair

With this news calamitous
With thus murder heinous
My country falling to pieces

Translations

Pakistan

Another day descends into its history
Of bloodshed, ignorance and plunder
Who shall we blame, the west or Islam

Poetry

Drifting in the World

“I have to design a website which will host pictures and videos of wet t-shirt competitions. And if I do

Translations

Catharsis

A walk through fire
Eyes shut tight
Stepping on red hot coal
Mind overcomes pain

Translations

The Missing Pakistanis

Where are those souls
Into wilderness, they disappeared
Like autumn leaves,
With no traces

Ghazal from Allama Iqbal, translated by M. Shahid Alam

DigarguN hai jahaN taroN ki gardish tez hai Saqi

Translations

The Nicotine Fingers

I have
In my possession
Not much but few
Belongings of my own

Poetry

The Disturbed

“Written words are dead letters… I am sick of writing; I want to speak. It feels good when your voice

Short Stories

Chicken Biryani

Almost halfway to his house, the bus came to a halt. A lot of buses stood there, vacant, the passengers

Short Stories

Enlightened Mediocrity

‘He (Musharraf) is better off than the Queen you know,’ I continued, ‘considering that even the poor lady is answerable

Translations

Six Minutes

The changing world,
Continuation of destruction
Through volcanoes and winds

Translations

A Scene

The horse without the rider
Baby without the mother
Not one chasing the other
Sitting silently - over the ruins

Poetry

The Dark Chocolate

“You must be wondering why after ten long years I suddenly opted to break my silence my dear Macaw..."

My Teenage Years in Lahore

As I sit here on my desk at work, sipping my persimmon white tea in a delicate persian tea cup,