Promise Me

Dear Tahmed,

Thank you so much for your kind wishes. But I do suggest that you and others like you on Chowk learn a thing or two from Romair.

Hope you were able to grab a stanza or two from Keats or Byron for Mrs Tahmed.

Best Regards.

Romair:
Somehow I still think that for Rafique-e hayat you invented this Omer Rafique [omer as in age]. why the coquettish smiling icon?
``Omer`s name seems to keep showing up on Chowk, for everything sent in by me :-)``

If not a very strange co-incidence.

True or false, doesn`t matter. You`ve endeared yourself to me even more because I also felt like a teen-tweenager.

Thanks.

God help us

Romair is trying his hand at romance now.

Not a half-way bad effort though.

Must have finally succeeded in slaying the evil feudals

of the PPP.

Time to move on.

Ras

``Each time some pretty girl would break my heart
I’d bare my soul to you
Did you not see, it was an alibi
To spend more time with you?``

Umair -- great Valentine piece -- however you have to explain yourself -- are you saying you tell your wife about your each and every affair......what a tattletale.......Amazing!


``They said our love was false; it would not last
No one gave us a chance
Two silly kids we were; all on our own
Out to change the world``

are you implying your marriage was not arranged -- if it wasn`t -- it WAS false....:-)

great poem.....encore

#22 by Urstruly on February 16, 2004 5:06pm PT
``I think the best poetry is that which is the simplest one.``

So Urstruly and Umair here is some simple peotry for you!!!


Monsieur Le Pew, a dapper skunk, arrived on the big screen in January 1945 in the Warner Bros. cartoon ``Odor-able Kitty.`` His creator was animator Chuck Jones, who also dreamed up Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote.

ICEBREAKERS
``Permit me to introduce myself. I am Pepe Le Pew, your lover.``

SWEET NOTHINGS
``You are my peanut, I am your brittle!``
``Ah, my leetle much ado about somezing. [kiss, kiss] Ah, my leetle lost labor`s love.``
``Where are you, my leetle gumbo of chicken? Your French fried shrimp is sizzling for you.``
``You may call me Streetcar, because of my desire for you!``
``Where are you, my leetle objet d`art? I am going to collect you!``

SELF-AFFIRMATION
``You know, eet eez possible to be too attractive!``
``You know, most men would get discouraged about now. ... Fortunately for you, I am not most men.``
``Ah, my darling, I love you. Where have I been all your life?``

How about a little side by side comparison.

Each day I want to hear you say
You’re still glad you took the chance
I don’t know why I feel this way
Tell me; is this what’s called romance? By Umair

LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD
``I`ll tell you what. You stop resisting me, and I`ll stop resisting you.``
``If you have not tried eet, do not knock eet!``
``You are zee corned beef to me, I am zee cab-baj to you. Zee cab-baj do not run away from zee corned beef!``

DEEP THOUGHTS
``One nice thing eez, the game of love eez never called on account of darkness.``
``Sometimes I ask myself, `Eez it really worth eet?` And I answer myself, `Yes!```

They said our love was false; it would not last
No one gave us a chance- Umair

I think the best poetry is that which is the simplest one. I liked the following:

`` They said our love was false; it would not last
No one gave us a chance
Two silly kids we were; all on our own
Out to change the world ``

The writer name has been corrected to Umair Raja only. Earlier due to a db mixup Omer Rafique`s name was also showing in author name.

From the Left:

Dear Romair,

You guys just made my day. No you just made my week!

Way back when there used to be a certain `Kafir Khan` on Chowk. He was openly gay. But this is the first time someone with such a high profile as yours has come out of the closet on Chowk. You courage is awe-inspiring. You guys are fabulous fabulous fabulous.

And kudos to Chowk for allowing you and Omer to break out of the closet with such fierce pride. The gay rights movement is greatly in debt to chowk.

This really got to me:

Each time some pretty girl would break my heart
I’d bare my soul to you
Did you not see, it was an alibi
To spend more time with you?

I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve tried to snuggle up to a guy with a fake story of a girl breaking my heart. That one hit very close to home and tugged fiercely at my heartstrings.

You go girlfriend!

Your fellow flaming queer,

Left.

P.S: Did you read the latest Irshad Manji book? Isnt she fierce?



From the Right:

I’m not gay!!

Regards,

Right.

ZahraJ #18 ``Just because you are married now does not mean the world around exists only for your ilks :) ``

Agreed. Happy valentine`s day to all the unmarried female ilks as well. And indeed to all female ilks under the sun.

And cheers to Romair once again for lifting chowk out (if only for this one board) from the spiritless rut it had gotten stuck into in recent times. Romair, we hardly knew thee!!

Romair,

I understand that being a newly wed you are into that Parveen Shakar mode. I could not recollect earlier where the tone was coming from ...but this poem had a ``yin`` touch... Just for the record, Valentine`s Day is not dedicated in anyway or shape to the married ones. Human beings can celebrate the said day in all phases of their life...singlehood, married life, and the life after. Just because you are married now does not mean the world around exists only for your ilks :)

Take Care.

hossp: #7: ``This is beautiful!``

Thanks. Vanessa Williams must rank amongst the ten most beatiful women in the world, along with the likes of Ashwariya Rai and Michelle Pfieffer and Olivia Newton John. And this ballad is definitely her best work.

Sobia #8:

``sweet :)``

Thanks

fara #9:

``last stanza is the best. waiting to read more from you``

The first six stanzas are for the couples who have had love marriages. And the last one is for those of us, who have had arranged marriages. I think most Pakistanis (and Indians) would relate to the last stanza. While most Americans to the first six. Most Pakistanis never get a chance to experience the first six, while most Americans rarely get to experience the last one.

moulabax #10:

``Haha. (thumbs up)``

Thanks

cipram #11:

``so nice.
today chowk front page is looking so beautiful.
no politics no confrontation.``

Each has its own place. I guess everyone made an exception for Valentines` day.

tahmad32 #12: ``Romair: Very nice poem

I second hamidm in suggesting your true profession is that you are a far better poet than you are a socio-political commentator.``

Thanks. The reason everyone likes poetry is that it is always non-confrontational. While political commentary, by its nature, is confrotatinal. I think.

wajahat #13:

``Good Work Romair``

Thanks. Maybe an anthem for MRM should be the next step

freesoul #15:

``In the last 3 days gays were being wedded in city hall, san francisco. So i guess we know where the inspiration is coming from.``

I think Chowk Staff is bent upon creating rumors. Usually they correct the names, on things I submit, by the second day. This time it seems like they are going to let it slide.

ahmadzai #16: ``This is an excellent poem.``

The only one on your list I can relate to is Bon Jovi. Though, this was primarily written for Vannessa Williams. If she ever calls, I am willing to give it to her for free. Or to Lionel Ritchie.

Umair:

This is an excellent poem. You are the first person with a balanced right and left sides of brain (recalling that you are a researcher and IT expert).

If written earlier, this could easily have been borrowed for a ballad by hard rock acts of the beautiful years gone by. I am already imagining David Coverdale (Whitesnake), Scorpions, Cinderella, Ratts, LA Guns, Robert Plant and Jimmy page (in their second coming), etc. playing it to the jam packed American arenas in the 80s till early 90s. Bon Jovi can still have a crack at it, although listening to their latest # viz Street Anger, I can`t visualize Metallica taking this one.

:-)

Umair Raja & Omer Rafique,

two guys writing romantic poem in california !!

In the last 3 days gays were being wedded in city hall, san francisco. So i guess we know where the inspiration is coming from.

Touchin indeed :)

Good Work Romair

I was indebted as the General Secretary of MRM to give my acquiescence to this before they start breaking up our party into the MRM-F(Fundoo), MRM-L(Liberoo). jk

:))

Rgds

W

last stanza is the best. waiting to read more from you.