The City, The Solitude, The Soul Poem by feroz rather

Every time
I try to fall in love with this city
I fail miserably.

Somewhere, perhaps
In a dirty corner,
In a nasty crevice,
In a squalid lane,
In the slush of drain
In some smoky street,
In some noisy cafes,
In the madness of tavern,
Above a haughty sky-scraper,
Down the corridors of power,
Under some dense cluster,
Under some muddy feet,
Is hiding its soul……..

There she writes,
About the historic aura
The grave of Omar Khayam,
About monsoon rains
Episoding the excruciating heat,
About peacocks and dance,
About bangles and romance,
About ruins, history, chance,
Poetry evoked by city,
Poetry! From filth, dirty,
An aimless roaming
In its airless streets,
The solitude in the sole
The soul in solitude,
In college, in university,
I try to fall in love with this city
I fail miserably.


I look at the elusive vehicles,
I look for soul,
I drink coffee with you,
I wish to drink from soul,
I listen to the grunt of donkeys,
I hobnob with the landlord,
I pay, I lodge,
Try to gather my peace,
I try to take it home,
Heart aches, heart says
‘Console it ably…….
The sole in solitude,
Try to fall in love with this city’
Every time I fall………
I fail miserably.

Somewhere it’s hiding,
I no longer look for it,
There are no stars to guide me,
Ah! The strange city,
The unfamiliar faces,
And solemn-looking ill graces,
This place is not mine,
In it’s richness and diversity,
Its grandeur, its poverty,
How could be its melancholy!

The sole is solitude,
The solitude, my soul
These people, these restive people,
This elusive immensity,
I can’t share my sole, my pride, my melancholy,
I say this with honesty,
I remain at ‘home’,
Remember my home,
My soul, my pride, my melancholy,
My people, my roots, my history……

I hate this city,
I’m telling you honestly!

I am a failure, a
I fail miserably…………


(September,2007)