About Death

When uncertainty dances with your fears, then know this that tragedy has collected its toll

Translations

Attractive Distractions

light in it's many vibrant hues
can blind and mystify, it is
but a distraction for the dark
that lies

Translations

I Await ...

Of what avail the melodies and glitter,
That an evening muse brings;
Life is false:
The past is faded, 'today'

It Is Raining

It is silent outside, except for the steady rain; everyone is huddled inside their rooms like us. I have my

Poetry

Clarity

“Arunivas! Arunivas! Make sure you get me a gold set! Last Diwali you forgot completely that I am allergic to

Translations

Thorn Tree Gossip

They fall on the new gossip-meat
Like a ravening hyena pack,
tearing their “close” friend
To rotten pieces behind

Poetry

The Proposition

The halala was solemnized. At 11, Iqtidar had his first experience of the flesh. Naghma was facilitated in her return

Short

The day had gone well. Dow was up. NASDAQ was up. Sensex was up. But he was thinking about his

The Wild Side Of The Mall

They changed the name of The Mall Road of Lahore to Shahra-e-Quaid-e-Azam years ago. I was too young then to

Poetry

Calling Chanda

In her early twenties Haryalee, like Chanda, was a eunuch or more commonly known as the hirja or the third

Hisab Barabar

She is a regular in the gym. She walks with a lazy step, does halfhearted aerobics, and barely moves on

Short Stories

The Roving Stones

My lords have announced they will cause revolutionary changes, changes that will cause a grass root level change. But how

The Other Woman

She was a friend who just happened to be a woman...or, was she?

Two Poems of Parveen Shakir in Translation

'Pink Flowers' and 'A Message'

Poetry

Dreams

Even this rain…even this has changed. Even Mother Nature has started whoring around. Nothing is the same. Nothing New Jersey

Poetry

The Permanence of Things

The acrid smell of what my body had expelled and what had now been rejected by the toilet was difficult