Mahboba Andyar: A Poem

Quinn, as I see here once again, the 'disgrace' is that poetry is not as appealing and thought-ful an avenue at Chowk, its not being given its place, nor its proper venue.....I meant that for Chowk, not for you.
I hope the message-dialogue has cleared out our other misunderstandings. All the best!
In the nearest language, it always works.

# 56: MeiraJ08, This is Chowk. The discussions on interacts tends to go in every direction. This was shock to me too initially. But then I realized it is not my living room but a Chowk. Moreover, comments on content are as valid as on form. Everyone has right to their opinion.
Having said that, critical review of some literary standard in response to our postings is what I came to seek here.
So obviously when I started reading your comments my hopes were high. But soon your narrow focus on form and limiting notions on method made my hopes come crashing. Close-mindedness of your approach and lack of understanding of variety in expression was obvious.
Yes, satire could extend to poetry – why not, but it does not have to. Why?
For me poetry is a personal response to events, internal or external. And personal it is. For me form is determined by content, not the other way round. If someone write differently from me then that does not mean that I go and start throwing insults on them. It becomes particularly shocking coming from someone who claims to be indulged in artistic pursuits. How you cannot see that it is not just a moral issue but issue of one human's tragedy. It truly is beyond ‘good and evil’. Quoting Nietzsche inappropriately just indicates your insensibility to the real issue.
In history of literature there is such a variety of form and content in poetry that a person looking at it from an ivory tower of criticism cannot even imagine to comprehend it all. Expecting it to be in a certain way of one person’s liking is like pronouncing a death sentence to the noble pursuit of art. But thank the infinite power of creativity that is has never been curtailed by the non-sense of such critics. (btw, hallmark of Nietzsche’s work is variety)
The art flourishes with experimentation, but most of all it thrives when it is coming from the depth of heart- not from the top of your head merely mechanically manipulating useless forms- the empty forms no one can make even a fleeting contact. Who can make contact with a lifeless 'flaunt'?
When my heart is pained deeply or I am elated with joy or some reflections make me ecstatic, all will find expression in one way or other. The content will take care of the form. I brood not like pseudo-artists on the form.
Lastly, on what basis you say Chowk is more discriminating in its choice for essays, reviews, stories. I don't think you have read them all. I have been published elsewhere too and I know what I am talking about. You must substantiate your claims, instead of puffing judgment calls and empty rhetoric.

I am trying to look for comments pertaining to the poem, but I think after the wrestling-matches at Chowk, one's sense of humour is really all that's left.

A note to the Editors,
About this 'poem,' it is really strange to me that you give essay-writing, story-writing, reviews and other such 'decent' activity, their merit due to correct usage of form.
This is a disgrace to poetic sensibilities. Surely, our poetry is no less, than the very best as well?
Politics, "NEWS" are very high and noble aims, but writing a poem on these themes, requires a very witty and keen hand -- Satire could possibly extend itself to "Poetry" as well.

This poem, with expressions like "pride of a nation" are all very well for an emotional appeal, as well as ethical, I assure you, but poetry is usually 'beyond good and evil' to quote Nietzche. I would love for you to harness as astutely as you do with your Satirists, and Essayists -- your Poets.

They too, are part of your community, and deserve recognition.

In the nearest language, it always works.

Re: # 54: Zeemax, this is no news. You have heard the proverb: news is made not when a dog bite a man, but when a man bites a dog. I have alluded to this possiblity even in my poem, if you read it carefully.
But thanks for the post.

quin,

Latest news re our mutual Mahbooba:

"In July, the only woman on Afghanistan's four-member Olympic team, 800-meter runner Mahbooba Ahadgar, disappeared from the team's training camp in Italy and reappeared in Norway, asking for political asylum.

Newsweek - 4 August 2008.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/148985/page/3

Re: # 49 Well said - no, very well said.

#50 Posted by TNI-masadi Sahib,

Yes unfortunately tahir sahib is debarred for some innocuous comment. I suggested the reserve nick 'bahir' but he had a better suggestion :)

#48 Posted by quin,

LoL sorry to disappoint you. But really, I thought that was a good enough aspiration to have ... wow ... I mean like flipping a campari with one hand behind your back without spilling a drop and juggling a highball glass in the other!

Chowk Staff sahibs and sahibas,

It has recently come to my attention that you have detained Tahir sahib. Since no charges have been delivered or brought forth, this detention is illegal. Please do the correct thing and refrain from a US-like misuse of power, and release Tahir sahib back into the chowk community.

Thank you for your kind attention,

TNI masadi.

It appears that "Chowk" is now invaded by a swamp of locust, of the Pakistani kind, that thrive on eating living organisms. The same familiar names and the same knee-jerk opinion mongering.
Wait till it all becomes..."ka-asf-im-maqool". These guys are living in their own pit.

# 47: No, that doesn't do. You guy's are ridiculously hopeless. Juvenile brats stuck in arrested growth. I had much higher expectations from you. No wonder the causes you guys are propounding are in such shambles.

#46 Posted by quin,

... if you tell me more about you, your struggles, your aspirations, your views on life, your experiences, if you provide me some insight, or say something or write something which may become an inspiration for me, may be a poem will happen.

Err ... actually I always wanted to be a bartender and to be able to flip glasses like Bryan Brown and Tom Cruise in the film 'Cocktail'! Would that do?

Re: # 44 Zeemax, you have no idea how much I appreciated you posting the movie and the later clip. I am being totally honest. I commend you highly for that. We all have errors in our persons. No one is perfect. And as it is said in Quran, variety is to make us learn. So in our variety we learn from each other. But we must show respect to each other's way of learning, expression and ideas. We cannot expect every one to conform to one way of thinking. I respect difference of opinion and for every one to have the right to their opinion. I only object when people start crossing the lines of decency. I agree what Tahir implied by saying that we need to be firm too, but firm we must with integrity and grace. I think Tahir has gone too far in the other direction unncessarily and he is getting himself bogged down in the trifles too much. It is a malaise of new digital age.
Anyway, regarding poem about you, if you tell me more about you, your struggles, your aspirations, your views on life, your experiences, if you provide me some insight, or say something or write something which may become an inspiration for me, may be a poem will happen. As I was telling Tahir on another interact, poem happens when a combination of different elements (factors) occur in a certain way. It is a person's response to something. Often that response forms with not much intention. So provide me the inspiration and it may happen.
And again I am thankful for that clip. It reminds me of Al Asar. You see when I read Quran, it creates a response in me, and I write that response in the form of rendition in English, for my own learning and cultivation and may be of some use to others. Only time will tell. So here is such rendition of Al Asar (103):
" By the passage of fleeting time
At loss is the human kind
But only if they attain the faith
And do their deeds in the very best way
And join each other in that which is true
And patiently would endure it through"
maybe for now you can accept this sharing as a tribute to your efforts.

Re: # 27 thanks brother for correction.
Nikhat Riaz

... Ok I saw your response on the iLog. But you still need to write a poem for me :)

quin,

You haven't commented on the iLog clip I posted just for you and addressed to you, after having split the 700mb file and converted twice and extracted just a 30 second segment and posted on YouTube, only for you.

Now, are you going to write a poem for me?