1
LINES OF INNOCENCE
2
LINES OF INNOCENCE
LINES OF INNOCENCE
3
LINES OF INNOCENCE
4
LINES OF INNOCENCE
LINES OF INNOCENCE By Arfa’aImanKalera
5
LINES OF INNOCENCE
All rights reserved with the publisher Nala e Dil Publications. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, and photocopying or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publishers. First Edition:
March, 2015
Quantity:
1000
Title:
Lines of Innocence
Poetess:
Arfa’aImanKalera
Price
Rs. 200/=
U.S $ 25
(Including Postal Charges)
ÂŁ 20
(Including Postal Charges)
Published by: Publications, Bhera Phone:
(In Pakistan)
Nala e Dil
+92 304 530 4575 +92 333 472 0573
E-mail:
nalaedil1499@gmail.com Facebook.com/nalaedil
6
LINES OF INNOCENCE
Dedicated To my affectionate maternal grandmother ‘Munawar Sultana Joyia’ who always encouraged and patronized me and sent the first grand-daughter to school by breaking traditions of the family. Arfa’aImanKalera
7
LINES OF INNOCENCE
8
LINES OF INNOCENCE
Acknowledgement I would like to thanks Allah Almighty and His beloved Prophet, Muhammad (PBUH), the love of whom enlightened me all through. I am also very grateful to my parents, Aslam Sher Kalera and Nadia Gul who brought me up pouring upon me plentiful love and infusing a lot of encouragement. My huge thanks go to my sister: nor-ul-Sama Munawar and my all best friends and relations who lent my life beauty, love and honour. Arfa’aImanKalera
9
LINES OF INNOCENCE
10
LINES OF INNOCENCE
Contents Foreword
12
1. O! My God
15
2. Lines In Respect Of The Holly Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him)
18
3. My Motherland
20
4. Soldiers
22
5. Wake Up Silly Man
24
6. Rainfall
26
7. My Dad
28
8. World And Life
30
9. Summer
31
10. You All Should Know
33
11. Chocolate Cake
35
12. Fear and Tear
37
13. My Blue Pen
39
14. We Are Four
41
11
LINES OF INNOCENCE
15. I Remember
44
16. Money
46
17. Examinations
48
18. When I Am With My Friends
50
19. A Recipe For Poetry
52
20. Peace (An Acrostic)
54
21. Come
55
22. A Woman Alone
57
23. A Snowman
59
24. Forbidden Love
62
25. In The Garden
65
26. The Night
67
27. Autumn
69
28. A Mouse
71
29. Love in Spring
73
30. My Cat
75
31. A Beacon of Light
77
32. In The Dark
79
12
LINES OF INNOCENCE
33. What.........?
80
34. A Poet In Neighbourhood
82
35. Quotes By Arfa’a Iman
85
13
LINES OF INNOCENCE
Foreword I Arfa’a Iman Kalera, thank to Allah Almighty that He blessed me with power in my hands. I am not one of those who use their wealth and swords to defeat their enemies. I am one of those who defeat their enemies by using their pen. My pen is my sword and my words are my wealth. I am grateful to God that He blessed me with the bliss of such mature creativity in this age. In Pakistan, not only a few children are talented, but also almost all children have some talent. But a handful of them are able to express themselves on account of lack of facilities. I am thankful to Dr. Nisar Turabi and Muhammad Shanazar, who patronized, encouraged and guided me in this achievement. I am inspired by my maternal uncles Dr. Abdul Shakoor Joyia, Lt. Col. Moazzam Iqbal Joyia and Mr. Azhar Iqbal
14
LINES OF INNOCENCE
Joyia. I am very grateful to Lt. Moazzam Iqbal who whenever conversed with me, he always used to say something that would teach me a very good moral, and would make my ambition stronger and more resolute to attain success. To me the problems and misfortunes are the best teachers, among all the teachers of the world. So, I thank to those who caused problems, in my life, to teach me lessons, in fact the best lessons of life, without asking from them. I request to authorities of Govt. of Pakistan to help their nationals to gain success instead of using them as a staircase of their own success. Thanks. Arfa’a Iman Kalera
15
LINES OF INNOCENCE
16
LINES OF INNOCENCE
O! My God
You are Merciful You forgive our faults and flaws And You bless us all, You are Omnipresent and Omniscient,
You watch us all and all our deeds Though we perform or commit
17
LINES OF INNOCENCE
In the sunlight or darkness at night, Nothing goes hidden from Your eyes, Or unheard from Your hearing, You are who accepts our penance When we are penitent, Just listen to me and my prayer, I move in the world Surrounded by the Dark, All paths are blurred; Show me the right and bright one,
Which is straight too, And trodden by the men of elegance,
18
LINES OF INNOCENCE
Whom you blessed bounteously, With whom You are pleased, Guide me to route which may bring me To the door of Heaven, for I am scared Lest my ignorance should drift me To the region of Hell:the darkest well.
19
LINES OF INNOCENCE
Lines In Respect Of The Holly Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him) The world was dim, You brightened it all, You save humanity, from the down fall, You removed the curtains of ignorance, Gave the daughters the lost importance,
20
LINES OF INNOCENCE
Showed the route that leads to success, Where Allah is pleased, waits to bless, Your name will remain glaring evermore, God gave You the keys of Heaven’s door, I have a desire that once I should behold, The Green Dome ere wings of life I fold.
21
LINES OF INNOCENCE
My Motherland
My motherland, the land of peace, Here is played the band of harmony, A garden of flowers, Her scenes are full of lush green trees
22
LINES OF INNOCENCE
With butterflies and humming bees, Crops of corn, wheat and sugarcane Sway when wind blows to bring the rain She has four seasons all the year, Her skies are blue and very clear, Summer and winter, autumn and spring, They have their glories in everything, Her people are loving, brave and bold, Know well how to standin hot and cold, I pray to God that she may live long, Her people may tell right and wrong.
23
LINES OF INNOCENCE
Soldiers
O! My soldiers, O! My soldiers, You are the arms and shoulders Of my people, You don’t fight for fame,
24
LINES OF INNOCENCE
But for the sake of God and nation, You don’t bend heads before the enemy, You wake when we sleep, You never let us weep, You place chests when volleys are shot, And then you earn our love a lot, Mothers give birth To sons very rare, valiant as you are, You win our hearts When you lay down lives in the war.
25
LINES OF INNOCENCE
Wake Up Silly Man
O! Wake upthe silly man! if your headpiece have a brain, You have to do many chores And have to get many sores,
26
LINES OF INNOCENCE
Get up from the day dream, Or you will getno cream, You have to swim in the flood, You have to warm your blood To meet and face odds of life, Else you will get no smart wife, So to make your good fortune, Bother not for the month of June.
27
LINES OF INNOCENCE
Rainfall
Beautiful it is, the rainfall The world dances like a ball, When it falls, flowers bloom It washes the spots of gloom,
28
LINES OF INNOCENCE
It is a treat for plants and trees Lends fragrance to the breeze, My heart flaps with the joys, When we all girls and boys, See the rainbow in colours seven, Swinging angels in the heaven.
29
LINES OF INNOCENCE
My Dad A gentleman to me is my dad, He lets never me to become sad. Never angry he grows to me Always he listens to my plea.
30
LINES OF INNOCENCE
He has a big mind, a big heart, I never found a man of his sort. He dazzles in mind like a star, And throws light near and far. He does nomischief to my mom, He respects,loves jack and tom, He is a man of graceful mood, Sustains us well with lawful food, I love my father from the core, He is a man of God, I am sure.
31
LINES OF INNOCENCE
World And Life
Difficult is to survive in the world, The coward lose but win the bold. It is a puzzle, it is baffling maze, Where wealth is everyone’s craze. It is where no one wipes your tears, When you cry, you wail no one hears. It is a market, all runs after gain, No one is there to share my pain.
32
Summer
The sun dazzles very hot The glaciers begin to melt, When sweat flows a lot, The soldier loosens his belt,
LINES OF INNOCENCE
33
LINES OF INNOCENCE
The farmer lies on the cot, To bandage his open welt, Heat does everything rot, To the crazy nothing is felt, It was summer, believe or not When for the first time I felt, I lost my heart, and a lot, And aroma of love I smelt.
34
LINES OF INNOCENCE
You All Should Know
I fell in love with a woman, She is very noble ever think I can, She is as beautiful as a white rose, And for my maladies she is a dose,
35
LINES OF INNOCENCE
She is always happy when I win, Saves me from committing any sin, She always straightens my path, I love her as a candle is loved by a moth, I cannot repay her for the kitchen burn, This is the lesson she made me learn. She bears her heart as soft as foam, You all should now she is my mom.
36
LINES OF INNOCENCE
Chocolate Cake I eat Yummytasty chocolate cake, Which my mom does often bake, She poursthe red jelly on the top It looks like blister about to pop,
37
LINES OF INNOCENCE
She adds then a layer of vanilla Which seems like a roof of villa, Pineapple slices on then it blink They shine red, yellow and pink, When I take on it a big bite, My face becomes a slimy site, I let my tongue out of my mouth, Move it east, west, north and south, I bite the chocolate with relish sweet, Then wipe my lips clean and neat.
38
LINES OF INNOCENCE
Fear and Tear
My heart and mind are full of fears And the eyes have a stream of tears, The water that comes out of heart, It is gold, neither rubbish nor dirt,
39
LINES OF INNOCENCE
My heart pains but the eyes weep, It is a secret and secret very deep, I think why I am so sordid to all None is to wipe my tears, no pal, I myself am the cause to weep, Why winds beep, why tears creep?
40
LINES OF INNOCENCE
My Blue Pen
Once I had with me a blue new pen, Its nib was like a beak of the hen, I bought it from the Ben’s shop, It was the pleasure I had to crop,
41
LINES OF INNOCENCE
I went back and filled it with ink, I wrote, my notebook began to blink, I showed my work to the teacher, She asked to write more like a preacher, I always wrote and wrote with it, Then it began to wear out a little bit, Once after my work, I put it on the bed, I sat on it mistakenly, found it dead, It was my sword that broke, it is true, It shed blood, but only black or blue.
42
LINES OF INNOCENCE
We Are Four Two kids were playing In the graveyard, A boy asked whether he could Share with them hide and seek.
43
LINES OF INNOCENCE
They said, “We are already four, you will be surplus So we cannot ask you to play with us, Go! Somewhere to play with some other, Your sisters, brothers, father or mother.” “But it is strange you are only two, I don’t like to tell a lie, I am true.” “Don’t make us bore, we are four, You can count what else we can do more.” The boy counted them pointing a finger, “You are two, it is true, now don’t hinder.” The kids then themselves counted, Both of them on the mound mounted,
44
LINES OF INNOCENCE
“See! We two stand up here, Two more lay in the graves there, They are having rest; they had been in pain, Soon they will begin hide and seek again.”
45
LINES OF INNOCENCE
I Remember I remember the times in my childhood, When all went hand in hand Running, laughing, smiling and cheering But I went alone
46
LINES OF INNOCENCE
Just wailing and wishing for a friend, To have someone who could Go hand in hand, Tears rolled down from my cheeks And there was no one to soak, Even now when I sit alone, Pain is revived, when I see others Going hand in hand, me sitting all alone, I am chilled to the bone.
47
LINES OF INNOCENCE
Money They say, “Money is the cause of evils”. They may be true but I don’t believe in so, Money is a blessing, It is human mind that changes things, Bright into black and black into bright, It makes you respected if used in good faith,
48
LINES OF INNOCENCE
It takes you to the gallows if used heinously, It brings fortune, it brings misfortune, It is hell and it is heaven, It is the cause of Nine Eleven, One can feed the destitute, The other on the drink may consume, So my friends as sweet as honey, Blame not at all money, Correct your mind, then you will find, By doing charity, it takes you to God, The most Generous, Benevolent and Kind.
49
LINES OF INNOCENCE
Examinations
A source of fear For those who are afraid, A yardstick to measure efficiency, Pain for the learner, pleasure for teacher, Though I am not a lazy being, Yet they give me psychological torture, And make me always nervous, Now they again encroach to me
50
LINES OF INNOCENCE
And I shall be face to face next week, Though I burn the midnight oil, Yet have a sense ‘I know noting’, It is hard to hard to stuff the mind, With date of history, symbols of chemistry, But o! My friends, be patient, Though they give you distress, Yet they bring you success, When other sleep, And you at the night wake, They mold your fate, soon or late.
51
LINES OF INNOCENCE
When I Am With My Friends (Dedicated to my friends, present and past)
Life become fabulous when I am with my Friends, The world seems to be a paradise, when I play with them, When I dance with them Sorrows are washed,
52
LINES OF INNOCENCE
Pleasures overflow from my heart, When I smiles with their smiles, When I crunch with my friends, My life begins to blossom like a rose, The world takes a pose of a fairyland, And I feel myself with a band, Playing music in my heart and mind, The real wealth that I find, Being among my friends, They always lend my life new trends.
53
LINES OF INNOCENCE
A Recipe For Poetry Poetry is a dish, Tastier than fried fish, When I write a poem, or a few lines To express my conscience,
54
LINES OF INNOCENCE
I pick petals of some thoughts From the garden of mind, With a great care them I bind, I get the washed And put them into the pot heart, Burn the fire of emotions, Mix spoonfuls of similes and metaphors, And spices of diction Serve them to my friends In plates sketched with images.
55
LINES OF INNOCENCE
Peace (An Acrostic) Paradise is its home, Emerges from the origin of Love, Absents itself from the world, Conceals itself in the caverns, Epileptic are its extremities. Peace
56
LINES OF INNOCENCE
Come Come and give me a hand, Let’s play a band On the beautiful land, Standing on a mounds of sand, So that a moment should come
57
LINES OF INNOCENCE
We all may shine And make the nation fine. All is yours and mine, Let’s move and go ahead in line To the world of future, Where there is no fear, Where there is no tear, Where song of peace is to hear, And sky is very clean and clear.
58
LINES OF INNOCENCE
A Woman Alone
There stands a woman all alone, All happiness of her life has gone, She has no support, she has no friend, No one is there a smile to lend, Her spouse died a month ago, She has four kids to let them grow,
59
LINES OF INNOCENCE
She has the load of life to haul But her patience is really tall Though the world left her alone, Yet reality to her has been shown, “A few are to stand by, in hard time, Many become guest when coins chime�. She is resolute to bring up the kids Keeping her tears behind the lids, She will sacrifice her desires and needs, Whether they become flowers or weeds.
60
LINES OF INNOCENCE
A Snowman
Last year I made a snowman, Beautiful and tall, I used some chocolate cookies for his eyes, Stuck some beans to give him smile,
61
LINES OF INNOCENCE
Made his nose of carrot red, Each brow with the feathers of crow, His arms were made of stems of trees, And used some other tips for his lips, Then made him my only friend in the town, And shared with him my bread brown, Happiness and sorrow Everything that I did borrow, I wished that summer would never come, Lest I should lose my friend, Our happy company for sometime remained, And at last summer came,
62
LINES OF INNOCENCE
It killed the man, Snowman was whose name, Now no one is there in the town With whom I may share, My worries, my pleasures and plights, Or my bread brown.
63
LINES OF INNOCENCE
Forbidden Love How can we pass through journey life? All alone and unaccompanied It is a tedious and long But love is forbidden, like forbidden fruit,
64
LINES OF INNOCENCE
Heart asks me to love, But mind is full of fear, fear lest I should do something prohibited, And stain my character. Living hopes dwell in my heart, And heart asks me to love, But love is forbidden, like forbidden fruit, The moment is as bright as flowers, I know myself and you too,
65
LINES OF INNOCENCE
Life is a journey tedious and long, Only love makes it worth-living But it is forbidden, like forbidden fruit.
66
LINES OF INNOCENCE
In The Garden I play in the garden, The garden where flowers are pleasures, Thorns are sorrows, Butterflies are friends,
67
LINES OF INNOCENCE
Ladybirds are my fellows, The biting ants, stinging wasps my foes, But they are the part and parcel Of the society I live in, We may face together, Happiness and sorrows, Friends and foes, Bothering none, if we are one During the strife, in the garden of life.
68
LINES OF INNOCENCE
The Night The night is beautiful, The moon shines in the sky, And seems to me a lump of cheese, A fine ball,
69
LINES OF INNOCENCE
Starry is the sky, like A black sheet with twinkling dots, Though the sky is black and dark, Yet it seems like Jinnah Park.
70
LINES OF INNOCENCE
Autumn It is autumn, trees are leafless bare, The seasonal birds of summer stare, Into the clear clean and cold sky, In their heart they weep and cry,
71
LINES OF INNOCENCE
For the summer has gone away, And now they no more can stay, Winter chases its prey from behind With a heart callous and eyes blind.
72
A Mouse There was a mouse It lived in Alina’s house, Its colour was grey, And it was a cat’s prey,
LINES OF INNOCENCE
73
LINES OF INNOCENCE
All the day it played Hide and seek With Alina’s cat, And also did freak All time there was a noise, Alina with other boys Did it thrash, And threw it on the heap of trash.
74
LINES OF INNOCENCE
Love in Spring The clours of spring are all around, Flowers have blossomed, When the wind blows the leaves flutter, There is a message for love to mutter In the air, colours and fragrance, The birds chirrup in the trees,
75
LINES OF INNOCENCE
Fountains trickle clean cold water, Straying breeze gives new energy, Nature has awoken from the long snooze, The sky is blue and clear, O! My friend, my dear, come a slight near, Everything gives a message of love, Sparrow, nightingale, and turtle-dove It is a moment to discard every fear, O! My friend, my dear, come a slight near.
76
LINES OF INNOCENCE
My Cat I had kept a submissive cat; It always slept on the mat, It preyed upon a naughty rat, It always remained fit and fat,
77
LINES OF INNOCENCE
When we sat together side by side, Nothing in hearts we could hide, We both could speak to each other, And could understand well rather, Whenever I gave her a gentle pat, It always jumped at my derby hat.
78
LINES OF INNOCENCE
A BEACON OF LIGHT Stands there a beacon of light, Surrounded by dark at all In the land of horrible magic.
79
LINES OF INNOCENCE
He is a man of might, And grants light to all.
To create more like himself, And to grant light to all
He is nothing to me, But the great poet Muhammad Shanazar.
80
LINES OF INNOCENCE
IN THE DARK,.....
In the dark, Is there sitting someone Who is weeping and crying, And asking for help, And for its own lost significance, also for the lost fame and name, That one is called honest
81
WHAT...............?
What I want to do? What I want to say? What I want to ask?
What have I to do? What have I to say? What have I to ask/
LINES OF INNOCENCE
82
LINES OF INNOCENCE
What have I to gain? What have I to lose?
What are the answers to my questions? What are the questions to my answers?
................. I am only confused!!!!!
83
LINES OF INNOCENCE
A POET IN NEIGHBOURHOOD
There lives a poet in my neighbourhood His personnality traits are very good
84
LINES OF INNOCENCE
His heart is as soft ao butter,as clean as cream His poetry is full of gleam
All are so influenced by his poetry, And with so many books in his poetry
He knows all the tricks of trade, Of that poetry in which his soul is laid
He's a star,shining so bright He spreads everywhere his knowledge's light
85
LINES OF INNOCENCE
But still his light doesn't lessens, Instead ,it brightens & brightens
He is Dr.Nisar Turabi & is as sweet as strawberry
86
LINES OF INNOCENCE
QUOTES BY ARFA'A IMAN "Being impossible is impossible."
"Try to become HUMAN! Human Unique Marvellous Adorable Natural "
87
LINES OF INNOCENCE
"Minute is minute,but remember that it is minute which makes the abundant."
"Never leave a problem unsolved,thinking that it will be solved itself ,if left unnoticed, spreads instead of setting off."
88
LINES OF INNOCENCE
89
LINES OF INNOCENCE