Ali Siddiqui

I Have Come to You

You had said, to lose oneself, to wander away,
You had said, on this earth, there are so many mountains,
Rocks, deep and dense forests, oceans and great seas—
somewhere, everywhere,
You Wander away, lose yourself.

You had said, around the world,
There are so many deserts and swamps, and more,
So many haunted places and abandoned territories—
Any one of them
Wander away, lose yourself.

You had whispered, in the world,
There are so many great cities, millions of people’s
jungles of bricks, stones, and vast networks of iron,
So many alleys and corners—
In any city lose yourself, disappear.

To lose oneself, I ventured into many forests and jungles,
I escaped the scorching sands, wandered in the desert,
I went to so many cities and necropolises,
Released myself into the endless, universal self—
I’ve come Back to you, remaining by your side.

Humans and Clouds on a Rainy Day

Your wings are absent, humans don’t have them—
Yet the wind fills itself upon you, flying above.
Whispered words turn into nectar
Echoing through the hollows,
The separate entities of brain and thought
Are lost in forgetfulness.

The clouds have no homes, humans do—
Children of clouds pour down in torrents into the earth’s bosom.
Songs of rain, life’s grandeur of worship—
Heads softly tender
In love and longing,
Humans and clouds on a rainy day, in silence.
Humans lack wings, clouds have them in playful flight
The human mind finds solace in the unknown companionship of clouds. 

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